


Guard My Life

by TrafalgarNeo



Category: One Piece
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Family, Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2020-09-27 14:03:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 68,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20408971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrafalgarNeo/pseuds/TrafalgarNeo
Summary: Cade has had it with humans hatred of fishmen. Her mother is dead, her brother is being sold into slavery. Enter Monkey D. Luffy. The boy who decided she's going to be part of his crew and sail the world with him. Even if that means dragging her every stubborn inch of the way.(Minor flirting/fluff)





	1. A Boy & A Village

A Boy & a Village

Cade huddled against her mother. The ship rocked violently from the waves outside, almost throwing them to their sides but her mom held steady. Thunder rumbled overhead. Lightning flashed through the small portholes with no signs of stopping. Both reflected the anger that was burning inside of her. When one of the pirates passed their cell she glared at him. He flashed her his dirty, and a couple missing, teeth and said, "You're going to make someone a nice little slave some day soon, little fishy."

"Shut up!" Cade snapped. "Or I'll feed you to the sharks! I'll never be anyone's slave!"

The pirate laughed. "I like 'em spunky. Too bad you're just a child. If you were a little older I'd keep you for myself."

Growling, Cade lunged forward but her mom's arm tightened around her shoulders, stopping her from attacking. Not that she could attack. Their chains clanked from the movement. She had forgotten about the chains.

"Cascade, hush. Behave yourself."

"Yeah. Be a good little fishy and do as mommy tells you!" The pirate laughed. He kicked the bars of their cell before walking off.

Cade stuck her tongue at his back. Her little brother whimpered in his sleep. He rolled over, the blanket falling off him. Cade pulled it back around him and patted his shoulder. He fell back into a peaceful sleep. She shifted on the hard wood floor of their cell. "I hate this. Why are they doing this to us? We've done nothing wrong."

"I know, my love." Her mom hugged her. "Unfortunately this is the way of the human world. But do not blame all humans for the actions of a few. Not all humans are bad. You will see."

Cade snorted. "Sure they are."

"One day you will learn that there are more humans nicer than those who are not. Remember our friends back on Cobalt Island. For now hold your tongue, my child. We will be fine," Serenity said. "Your father won't let them get away with this."

Cade rolled her eyes. "You don't even know where he is. He cares nothing for us."

"Do not say that, Cascade." Her mom ran a hand over her hair, trying to smooth her unruly curls Cade got from her dad. "He loves us very much."

Cade hugged her knees to her chest. Her collar bit into her skin but she did nothing to stop it. There was no point. It wouldn't move no matter what she did. She had been wearing the collar for almost a week now. She was almost starting to forget it was there. Almost.

Or she thought it had been a week. She had lost count of the days at some point. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that they hadn't had a decent meal since they had been caught. They only got scraps from the pirates when they felt like giving them to the fishmen they were carrying. Someday soon they were suppose to arrive an island to be sold, as often her kind were.

Though she had thought they might had been safe on their small island, Cobalt. The small island that held very few humans that did like them. But that was dashed when this pirate group arrived on their island. The pirates killed anyone who fought against them. Many were hurt. Many died.

The vision of the massacre was fresh in her mind still. The blood hammered her nose so hard that she could still smell it. And the bruise her mother got when a pirate snuck up behind her was still on the woman's forehead. Cade thought the black and blue bruise would mar her mother's beauty, but it didn't. Her mom still looked as beautiful as ever. It actually matched well with her mother's light purple skin. The same skin tone her brother had.

Cade sighed. None of this would have happened if only her _father_ had kept his promise. But nope. The one time they needed him the most he wasn't there. Clenching her fists, she hoped she never saw him again. At this rate that was going to come true.

A clank brought her from her thoughts.

"Come on, fish." Another pirate opened the door of their cell. "Captain wants you on deck. You have to walk around. Don't want you getting too weak before we can sell you." He saw her brother sleeping. Grumbling he walked into the cell and kicked him. "Get up!"

A wail rang out from her brother's mouth.

"Stop it! Don't kick him!" Cade lunged at the pirate. She grabbed onto his leg and sunk her sharp teeth into his flesh. Iron wafted in her nose and spilled into her mouth.

"Ouch! You rotten brat!" He grabbed her hair and tried to jerk her off him. When she didn't budge he slammed his fist onto her head.

"Cascade! Stop it!" Serenity cried.

"You brat!" The swung his foot again, nailing Cade in her stomach.

Air rushed from her lungs. Cade's teeth released from the man's leg just before something hit her cheek. The world around her spun before she collided with the floor. Her cheek stung. Then came the familiar _shiiing_ of a sword being pulled from its sheath.

"Please. Do not harm her." Her mother rushed in between them. "I promise she will not attack you like that again."

The pirate scoffed. "She had better not. If she does it again, I _will_ kill her. I don't care how much you fish might be worth on the market." He sheathed his sword and pointed to the door. "Get out."

"Come." Cade's mother picked up her brother then grabbed Cade's wrist. They left the cell, walked up the stairs, and stepped out onto the deck.

Several pirates were on the deck, some snarled at them while others just smiled with hidden intent. Cade looked up at the sky. The dark clouds were rolling away from the ship, leaving a thin layer of grey clouds behind. She took a deep breath of the salty and fish smelling air. Her fingers twitched with the longing to dive into the water and swim away from here. But that didn't look to happen for a long time. With a snarl she wondered if her _master_ would let her go swimming at all. Probably not. Water was her element after all.

"Mommy." Kale rubbed his tired, wet eyes. "Can we go swimming?"

"I'm sorry, my sweet." Serenity kissed his cheek. "We cannot."

Kale pouted with a whimper.

Cade clenched her fists. Her brother was so young. Only three years old. A few years younger than she was. He should be swimming around in the ocean. Playing in the ocean. Having fun. Not being shipped off to some noble nut or spoiled Celestial Dragon with nothing better to do than make someone's life miserable just because they were different.

"Calm yourself, Cascade." Serenity placed her hand on her shoulder.

Only then did Cade realize the amount of hatred and murder she had inside of her. She wanted to rip out the throats of all these pirates then fed them to sharks. First she would have to get this collar off her neck. She wouldn't be able to do anything if her head was blown off. Stupid explosives collars. Whoever invented them should be shot.

The only way to get it off was to have the key. And the captain had the keys. She hadn't seen him in days. She shook her head. They were only allowed a limited amount of time on deck. She wasn't going to waste it. Breaking away from her mom, she jerked her chain from the pirate holding it and ran across the deck before flipping hand over feet. Bending her knees she shot herself up to the upper deck, ran across the railing, and then jumped to the figurehead. She stood there, looking out at the horizon. No ships or islands appeared in sight.

"Hey, you brat! Get back down here!" a pirate called. "You're not suppose to run off like that!"

She ignored him.

"Leave her alone," another one said. He chuckled. "This is the last bit of freedom little fish girl is ever going to get."

The pirates laughed.

Cade clenched her fists. Rage flared in her chest. Gritting her teeth, she mumbled, "Stupid humans. I hate all of you. You are a horrible race."

She sighed, wishing she were older, stronger with better control over the water. If she had half the strength the elder of her people had then she would be able to get them out of this. But no. She was still just a child. She wasn't strong enough to get herself and her family out of this.

Her dad could. He was strong.

She shook her head. She wasn't going to think about him. She didn't need him.

"Time to go back, fish!" someone hollered.

Cade turned to find her mom and brother weren't on the deck anymore. She jumped back to it and looked around. "Where're my mom and brother?"

"Captain wanted to see your mom," a pirate said. Everyone chuckled.

A chill ran up and down her spine. A strange gleam was in their eyes. Something wasn't right. She could feel it. Suddenly there was a loud bang. Wood snapped before thunder boomed above. Pieces of wood and water rained down on the deck. The pirates scrambled to get out of the way. Cade looked up. She gasped. Her mom had jumped from a hole in the captain's quarters. Her mom's flawless pale purple skin was bleeding. A bruise was swelling on her cheek. And her clothes…her clothes had been torn and ripped. Her mother's breasts were partially exposed. A shattered, yet determined, look was in her eyes. Her arms were tight around her brother as they fell to the deck. "Mama?"

Her mother landed on her feet then and fell to her knees. Her arms tightened even more to keep the young boy safe.

"Mama, what happened?" Cade grabbed her mom's shoulders.

"Hold still, my love." Serenity brought up a ring of keys.

"Mama, you…" A click and the collar fell from her neck. A rumble of thunder hid the clank of the collar and chain on the deck. Before she could utter another word her mother grabbed her up and ran for the railing. Next her body was hurling through the air. Following her was the shell shaped locket her mother wore everywhere. She grabbed it and pressed it to her chest.

The world slowed to a painful crawl. She watched as her mom tried to throw her brother over the side as well. But the pirates grabbed her mom's arm and her brother before he could be freed.

"Cascade!" her mother screamed. "You must survive! Find your father! He will help you!"

"Mama!" Cade reached out in vain for her mother. A gun blasted. Blood splattered through the air from her mother's chest. Her mom's eyes filled with pain then lifelessness. Cade screamed before plunging into the dark water. Her blood turned to ice. Her limbs numbed. Her instincts screamed at her to get away but her body wouldn't listen. She sunk farther into the ocean until everything around her went black.

…

Cade groaned as the hot sun beat down on her dry skin. Rolling onto her side the sand rubbed against her, irritating her skin and gills more. Her head pounded as she started to wake up more. A drop of wet, warm water dropped onto her cheek. She sniffed the air, expecting to smell rain but smelled only the ocean, trees, and some flowers. She exhaled.

Another drop of water hit her cheek. A grumble of a hungry stomach hit her ears. Her eyebrow knitted in confusion. She wasn't hungry. Another grumble forced her to open her eyes. She squinted them shut for a moment so her eyes could adjust to the sun then opened them again. Staring down at her were black eyes. Drool poured from his open mouth. She started, rolled away, and then scrambled to her feet. A young boy stood before her. "What the heck?! Where did you come from?!"

"Meat," the boy said, more drool poured down his chin. He took a step towards her.

"What? Meat?" Cade blinked. What was this boy talking about? She looked around before noticing he was talking about _her_. "What?! I'm not food, you idiot human!"

"You're fish! I'm hungry!" The boy dove for her.

Cade scrambled from his reach just before his open hands could grab her. "I said I'm not your food!"

"I'm hungry!" He charged at her again.

"You idiot!" Cade pulled back her fist. She threw it at him, nailing him on the cheek. The boy went flying back. He hit then rolled on the beach, knocking up sand, before coming to a stop.

The boy sat up. He touched his swelling cheek. "Ouch. Meat's not suppose to fight back."

"I'm not meat! What's wrong with you?!" Cade demanded.

"I'm hungry!" he said.

"That's not what I meant! Were you dropped on your head as a baby or something?!"

"Who cares? I'm hungry and I want meat."

"Will you stop with the meat thing?!" Cade rubbed a hand down her face. This boy had to be the stupidest she had ever met. "Whatever. I have nothing to do with you." She waded out into the water. "I'm out of here."

"Wait!" he called out. She didn't. She dove under the surface.

Cade kicked her feet, propelling herself away from the boy and the island. She swam for about a minute before stopping. She glanced around. Seaweed flowed in the current. A single fish swam alone, paying no attention to her. She blinked with the realization she had no idea where she was.

Her heart jumped. One hand went to her dagger on her belt while her other hand went to the locket her mother gave her. It was in her pouch. She must have put it in there at some point after falling into the sea. She thought she might have lost them, or that someone had stolen them while she slept. But they were still there. She exhaled with relief.

A thought flooded her mind of why the pirates hadn't taken her dagger away from her in the first place. They never gave her an answer but she got the feeling they were taunting her with her. Saying she could keep it because nothing she could do would save her family. They were right. There was nothing she could do.

Tears swelled in her eyes. Her mother's blood spurting through the air flashed through her mind. Her heart ached. Her lungs seized up. She grabbed her head. Tears stung her eyes, mixing with the salt water around her.

The painful reality came back. Her mother was dead. There was no way her mom could have survived. She watched the lifelessness leaving her mom's eyes.

And her brother. Her sweet baby brother could already be a slave now or even dead. She was completely alone.

Cade sunk to the sandy floor. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she cried and cried into her knees.

She had no idea how long she had been crying. But when she was finally cried out she swam up to the surface. The boy was nowhere to be seen. And the beach was coated in the setting sunrays.

She crawled out of the water. Cool air brushed her wet skin, causing her to shiver. She ignored it and headed inland. With that boy here there had to be some village or town or city. Maybe she could figure out where she was and if she could swipe a log pose.

She didn't know where she was going to go but she wasn't going to stay here. Maybe she could find her way to Fishman Island. Or at least to some other fishmen who might help her. Maybe with their help she could find out what happened to her brother. Maybe she could save her brother.

She walked up a hill. Reaching the top she looked down to a small town below her. It didn't look like a bad place, with the exceptions of all the humans living there. Still she worked her way down to the village.

She stayed at the edge of the town, hidden by a tree until the sun had fallen completely below the horizon, casting night shadows over the village. With crickets sing around her she made her way into the village, keeping to the shadows so no one would see her. Coming to a building she crawled upon a barrel near a window and peeked inside. A family of four was inside. The mother was at the stove, cooking. The father reading a newspaper while the kids played with wooden blocks on the floor. They didn't look like the type who would sail the ocean. She jumped back to the ground.

Looking at the small town she wondered if anyone here were sailors or even navy men. The thought made her head for the harbor. Maybe a ship would be there, unguarded. She could steal a log pose from it easily.

Her lips turned into a frown when she got to it. It was small. The only ships moored there were actually boats, small boats that were only used for fishing locally. And that meant no one would have a log pose since they wouldn't venture far from the island.

Voices made her jump. She dashed down the small set of stairs that led to the dock. Pressing her back against the small wall she listened to the voices, heart pounding and hoping they didn't come her way.

"Man, what a hard day," a man said.

"Yeah," a second man said.

"I could use a drink."

"So could I. Let's go to the Party Bar."

"Sounds good to me."

_Party Bar,_ Cade thought. If anyone knew of a ship or possibly the whereabouts of a log pose it would be in there. She ran back to the houses. Plucking a sheet off a clothesline she wrapped it around her, making sure to hide her fishman qualities. Once she made sure she was covered enough she made her way into the town.

A few townspeople were on the dirt roads talking. None of them paid her any mind. Still her pulse hammered. Anyone of them could notice she was a fishman with one little slip up. Then it would be over. They would turn against her. She tried not to think about it and focus on the Party Bar. She passed a few buildings before finally finding a building with the name over the door. With a deep slow breath she forced herself to go inside.

Her nose was hammered with unwashed bodies and booze. She forced back a gag and looked around. Many were inside but not all the tables and chairs were taken. Her pulse jumped when she saw the boy from the beach sitting at the bar. She pulled the sheet more over her face. It was over if he noticed who she was. Turning away from him she moved to the far corner of the room. She pulled herself into a chair and listened to the conversations around her. When she got the chance she would break into a conversation. It came when both men paused to drink their beer. "Excuse me. Do either of you know where I can get a log pose around here?"

"Huh?" The men looked at her. Their cheeks and noses were rosy from drinking. She hoped that meant they were drunk enough not to notice her child size body. "Who are you? You look like a kid."

Cade swallowed. So much for being so drunk they couldn't tell she was a kid. "Can you just tell me where I can get a log pose or not?!"

"Don't get so snappy, kid," the second man said. "There are no log poses around here."

Cade's heart sunk.

"The only ones who have those here are pirates and navy soldiers," the first one said. "Or the Celestial Dragons, royalty, and nobles. But there's no way you can get any away from them. They're too guarded."

Cade shivered. She didn't want to go around them three types of people anyway. Fishmen slaves were some of their favorites to own. But if she didn't have a choice she might just have to risk it. One man leaned closer to her. She jumped.

"Hey. You are just a kid. And you look a bit funny." He blinked a few times as if to clear his vision. "You kind of look like-"

Cade jumped from off her chair and ran for the door. She cut behind the bar and ran back up the hill and to the beach before diving into the water. If she were followed being in the water would be her best chance. As long as she was in the water she could handle any human that came after her even if she was still just a child. She stayed under the water for about hour or so before swimming back up to the surface. Carefully poking her head out of the water she saw no one was around.

With no one around Cade allowed herself to relax. She floated on her back and stared up at the night sky. The stars shimmered above with their happy glow. Something she didn't want to see. Happiness didn't exist anymore. Her mother was dead. She had no idea if her brother was dead too or if he was still going to be sold into slavery or already was. She had no idea where she was. And some crazy human child was trying to eat her.

She closed her eyes, tears leaked down her cheeks before mixing in with the ocean water. A vision of her dad came to her from long ago. She was sitting on his lap on a night like this one. The stars were shining brightly after a storm had vanished.

_"My sweet little Starfish," he said. She looked up at him. His body was so big compared to hers. His black hair even darker in the night. "You're growing up so fast and strong. I'm proud of you, my child."_

_"I strong like you, Papa!" Cade pumped her fists into the air._

_"Yes, you are." He nodded and patted her head. "And you are also strong like your mother. Unlike other fishmen you were born with a gift of controlling water like no other."_

_"Mama does too."_

_"That's right. Your mother is gifted in water control too."_

_"I'm like both of you."_

_He chuckled and ruffled her hair. "That you are, Starfish."_

_"Look!" Cade pointed to the sky. A shooting star shot across it._

"_You like looking at the stars, don't you?"_

_"Yes!" Cade nodded._

_"I do as well. They have a strange ability to make you feel like you're never alone. And you never will be. I will always be there for you. No matter what happens I promise that I will always protect you. When ever you feel alone just look up at the stars and remember I am always with you."_

"Idiot," Cade whispered to herself when the memory faded. "You said you'd always be there for me. You're such a liar." She covered her eyes with her arm. "You're not here for me at all. Mama is gone now because you weren't here to protect us. I _hate_ you."

…

**Author's Note: Never done a fishman OC before. So let me know if I'm making Cade too weak or too strong. I'll be working on individual arcs at a time and may take a break between them. Lastly, if anyone has suggests on how to fit Cade into future arcs I'm open to hear them. I'm not sure how to handle Cade in some.**


	2. Monkey D. Luffy

Monkey D. Luffy

Cade's feet pounded on the ground as she raced across the island. Pumping her arms she did her best to get away. "Will you leave me alone?!"

"No!" the boy called after her. He was close on her heels, reaching out his hands for her. "I want meat!"

"For the last time! I'm not something you can eat!" Cade said.

"But you're a fish!" he said.

"I'm a fishman! _Fishman!_ Not a normal fish people eat! What about that do you find so hard to understand?!" Cade asked. Bending down she launched herself up towards a tree. She landed on a branch and glanced back down at the boy.

"Hey! That's not far! How can you jump that high?!" he asked.

"That's none of your business," Cade said.

"Come on. Who are you? Why can you talk when you're a fish?"

Cade rubbed her throbbing temples. Hadn't she just told him she was a fishman? Was this kid really that stupid?

With a heavy sigh she looked up to the sky. Fluffy clouds floated against the crystal blue background. She wished she were a cloud. Then she could float away from here, from this crazy kid.

It had been almost two weeks since she landed on this island. And almost every day this black haired idiot came after her. She wanted to use her control over water to discourage him from coming back, but she didn't want him to give anymore reason to possible tell anyone else about her. Though from what she could tell he never told anyone about her in the first place. She had snuck into town a few times, at night, but no one seemed to be talking about a fishman girl. Still she wasn't going to risk it.

When she slept she always slept out in the ocean. When she went into town she went at night. And for food she was lucky enough to have hunting and cooking skills from her mom. She wasn't the best hunter or cook but she had enough skills to get done what she needed to survive.

And during one of those hunts she learned that a sea king had made his home in the bay of this island. So far the sea king didn't notice she was there. Of course she stayed well out of his way. She didn't want _him_ making a meal out of _her_.

"Hey!" The boy's voice broke through her thoughts. "I'm talking to you!"

Cade sighed. She wondered if this boy would ever leave her alone.

"Will you come down here and talk to me?!" he asked.

Cade really didn't want to. But if it would get him to leave her alone then maybe she should. "Will you promise not to try and eat me anymore?"

"I promise." He waved his hands in the air. "I won't try and eat you!"

Cade hesitated. Very few humans could be trusted. This one had tried many times to eat her. With an inhale and exhale she leaped from the branch and landed in front of him.

"Wow!" he exclaimed. "That was so awesome! You're really strong, aren't you?"

Cade eyed him carefully. "Maybe. So what do you want?"

"Well, since you won't let me eat you, why don't you be my friend?" His eyes beamed at her.

"What would I do that?" Cade crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "You humans are nothing but trouble."

"What? I'm not trouble?" He pointed at himself. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy. And I'm going to be king of the pirates!"

"D?" Cade's stance loosened. She had heard that before but couldn't remember where. Then the rest of what he said came clear in her mind. "King of the pirates? You?" She snorted. "Yeah. Right. You're nothing but a puny little human. You can never be king of the pirates."

"I can too! And I will!" Luffy stomped his foot.

"Whatever." Cade walked away from him with a wave of her hand. "I'm done with you. So go away and leave me alone."

"Hey!" Luffy followed. "Why are you out here living on the beach?"

"None of your business."

"Where are you parents?"

"None of your business."

"What's your name?"

Cade whipped around. She planted her hands on her hips. "What part of _none of your business_ do you not understand?"

Luffy didn't reply. He only stared at her and drooled.

"Stop doing that!" Cade punched him on the head. "I'm not your meal! And you promised me you wouldn't try and eat me!"

"I'm sorry." Luffy's stomach growled. "I'm just so hungry."

"Then have your mom get you something to eat." Cade turned and marched away.

"I don't have a mom."

Cade flinched and paused. The pain came back at full force. She didn't have a mom either. Biting back her tears she said, "Well…then…have your dad cook for you."

"I don't have a dad either."

Cade looked back at him. His face showed no pain what so every. He seemed just as happy as any other time she had seen him. She opened her lips to ask what happened to his parents before reminding herself that she didn't care. She started walking again.

"They're not dead." He followed. "Or I don't think they are. I don't know anything about them."

"I don't care." Cade sat down on the beach. She stared out at the glittering water, seagulls cawing overhead, until Luffy sat down beside her. "What are you doing?"

"Sitting with my friend."

Cade looked at him. He was smiling at her. She scoffed. "I'm not your friend."

"Then can I eat you?"

"No!" Cade punched him again. "Stop breaking your promise!"

"Ouch!" Luffy held his head. "Okay! I'm sorry! I'm just so hungry!" His stomach growled again. "And you're a fish."

Cade sighed. This boy really was an idiot. "_If_ I get you something to eat will you seriously stop trying to eat me?"

"Yes!"

Cade didn't believe him. Still she pushed herself back to her feet and dove into the ocean. Swimming downward she pushed a few rocks aside and pulled up her spear she had made. With it in hand she swam off into the water. Several fish of all sizes swam around her. She had no idea how many she should get. The boy was so skinny she wondered how often he ate. Maybe three fish? Or four? Maybe two if they were big enough?

Her own stomach grumbled. She should get some for both of them. If she got too much she could smoke the leftovers and eat on them over the next few days. She spotted some bass. Sinking down behind a rock she waited for them to come closer. When they did she speared two in a row. Blood flowed up in red swirls. She dug into the pouch on her belt for some string. Pulling it out she thread the string through their gills she attached them to her belt then went back to hunting. Four more bass ended up on the menu. She attached them to her string and decided that should be enough. The bass weight about ten pounds each. She was about to head up to the beach when her hairs stood on ends. Turning she saw a large mouth with several sharp teeth bearing down on her. She shot herself way before the teeth could dig into her. The sea king swam in front of her, showing her just how big he really was. He looked like he would extend over at least half of the island. "Just great. I guess I made too many kills at once. All the blood must have lured him here."

The sea king turned to her. His red eyes eyed her then the fish hanging at her hip.

"You're not getting my meal. I worked hard for this. And it's going to buy me freedom from an annoying brat that won't leave me alone."

The sea king charged at her.

"Water Swirl!" Cade held out her hand to the sea king. The water began to swirl like a whirlpool, propelling her back from the sea king. "And curve!" On her command the swirl curved upward. It propelled her towards the surface.

The sea king followed.

Seconds later she broke through the surface and shot into the air.

"Whoa!" She heard Luffy somewhere below. "So cool!"

"Water Swirl!" Cade broke off her first swirl and created a second one. This one hit the sea king on his neck. She flew backwards towards the beach. With a back flip she landed on the sand.

"Awesome!" Luffy clapped.

The sea king roared before disappearing beneath the surface. The surface water rocked before settling into place.

"That was so amazing! You're so strong! I bet you could have killed him!" Luffy said running over to her.

"Don't be such an idiot," Cade said. "That's a sea king. I'm no where near strong enough to kill it."

"But you did that thing with the water." Luffy spun his arm around, mimicking her Water Swirl attack.

Cade rolled her eyes. She took the fish off her belt and handed him half. "Here. Take this and leave me alone." She walked away from him but paused when she noticed he wasn't leaving." Glancing over her shoulder said asked, "What? Aren't you going home?"

"I would. But there's no one there to cook for me," Luffy said.

"Cook yourself."

"I don't really know how to." Luffy tilted his head.

Cade sighed. Clearly getting him food wasn't going to make him leave. She was going to have to cook for him now, too. She walked back over to him and grabbed the fish. "Fine. Get some firewood. I'll cook for you."

"Yeah!" Luffy ran off towards the trees.

While he did that Cade got to work cleaning the fish. She scraped off their scales with her dagger and removed their insides with practiced precision. About that time Luffy returned with arms full of wood. He dropped them on the beach. She rearranged them before reaching into her pouch.

"What's that?" Luffy asked when she pulled out a light orange piece of coral.

She pushed the top inward. Fire lit from the other end.

"So cool!" Luffy said.

Cade rolled her eyes. She touched the fire to a leaf still hanging onto one of the branches. It caught. She moved it under the logs and waited for it to catch. A minute later it did. The fire flared up, wafting heat over her skin, and the wood snapped. Grabbing some smaller sticks she cut them into sharp points before sticking the fish on them. Next she stuck the other ends of the sticks into the sand so they hovered over the fire.

While they waited Luffy stared at the fish, drool pouring down his face.

"Must you always drool like that?" Cade asked but he didn't answer. His attention was on the fish. She sighed. Why did she even ask that? She didn't care about him at all.

Several minutes later the fish was done. She passed him one of them and took one for herself.

Luffy bit into the fish, ripping the meat off with his teeth. "Yummy!"

Cade mindlessly ate her own fish. Her eyes stared into the fire until she was no longer able to see it anymore. Her mind drifted back to a day when her mom started to teach her how to cook. They were learning on an open fire like this one she had made.

"_Why are we cooking outside?" Cade asked._

"_Because you won't always have a stove to cook on," her mother said as she arranged the wood. "Learn how to cook on an open fire you'll be able to cook anywhere."_

Cade didn't realize how much her mother was right about that. Cooking on an open fire did come in handy. A warmth pressed against her cheek. She jumped and found Luffy had placed his hand on her cheek.

"You're crying," Luffy said.

Cade jerked away from him. She brushed her arm over her eyes, removing the tears.

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked.

"Nothing."

"You cry for nothing?" Luffy tilted his head.

Anger flared inside of her. She wanted to punch him so hard that he flew to the other side of the island. Instead she jumped to her feet and ran away from him. She ran up the beach until she came to the forest and leapt into the branches. Looking down she found Luffy didn't follow her this time. She was glad. Sitting down she wrapped her arms around herself and cried.

She spent the whole day there, crying. It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky when she finally jumped down from the tree. Instead of going back to the beach she dropped right in front of the tree and tried to sleep. But sleep wouldn't come to her. She spent hours tossing and turning.

Suddenly warmth wrapped around her body. She looked up to see Luffy and the blanket he laid over her.

"You're crying again over nothing," Luffy said.

"Idiot." Cade wiped away her tears. "I'm not crying over nothing. It would be stupid to do that."

"Then why are you crying?"

"Because I miss my mom." Cade's voice cracked. She drew in a deep breath before slowly releasing it. "My mom died last week saving me from becoming a slave. I don't know if my little brother is alive or dead."

"You were going to be a slave?"

Cade nodded. "Some pirates attacked our island. We were taken because we're fishmen."

"Fishmen?"

"A race of people who look like fish. We're whale shark fishmen." Cade spread out her hands to show him her webbing.

"So cool! No wonder you're fast in the water!" Luffy smiled.

Cade cocked an eyebrow at him. That wasn't a reaction she was use to.

"So why are you here on this island?" Luffy asked.

"I some how landed here after my mom threw me overboard," Cade said.

"Don't you have somewhere else to go? Where's your dad?"

Rage flashed across her face and flooded her body. "I don't know where my dad is and I don't care. He abandoned us. He said he would always be there for us but he wasn't. He let us get taken."

Luffy tilted his head and said, "Do you know his name?"

"Jinbe," Cade hissed. "He's the first son of the sea. He's supposed to be well known among the fishmen."

"You going to look for him?"

"No."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to look for my brother. But first I need to find other fishmen to help me. And I must get stronger." Cade looked down at her body. She tightened the blanket around her. "I'm not strong enough to venture out on the sea yet."

"So cool! You can sail with me!" Luffy grinned.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I'm going to be king of the pirates! And I'm going to have the best crew ever! You're already strong! With more practice you'll be even stronger! You have to join my crew! You're my friend!"

"I'm not your friend." Cade frowned. "Even if I were I'm not joining your crew. You're just a kid."

"We are friends! And you will join! I'm not going out to sea just yet! We have time to get stronger!"

Cade shook her head. There was no way this idiot would survive on the sea.

"Come on, Fish," Luffy said.

"My name's not Fish!" Cade snapped. "It's Cascade! But call me Cade!"

"Cade!" Luffy nodded. "You can stay with me until we set sail!"

"You're really dense, aren't you?" Cade smirked then shook her head. "You won't leave me alone. And now you're harassing me to be a pirate on your nonexistent crew. I'm not staying with you. Humans hate fishmen."

"I don't hate you. And the people who live here are really nice." Luffy grabbed his ankles and leaned forward. "You'll see."

"I'm not coming with you." Cade looked and waved at the sea. "That is my world. Not-" She turned back to find Luffy fast asleep on the ground. "You really are an idiot! Who falls asleep in the middle of a conversation?!"

Growling, Cade turned back to the sea. She watched the stars glittering on the surface until she fell asleep. Her fingers tightened around the blanket.

…

Teeth gritting she whimpered as her mom's death paraded through her mind. "No…stop it…Mama!"

Cade gasped and shot up. Panting she looked around, expecting to see the pirates coming for her. They weren't there. She was still at the forest with Luffy sleeping beside her. Tears leaked from her eyes. She closed her eyes and tried to force the nightmare away. A hand brushed across her cheek. She jumped and grabbed the wrist. She turned to attack whoever had touched her. Her hand grabbed her dagger before she registered it was Luffy.

"You were crying," Luffy said.

Cade paused and stared at him. It was startling to see the concern in his eyes. Why did he care so much? She pulled away and brushed her tears off her face. "I'm fine."

"Does something hurt?" Luffy asked.

"No."

"Something must hurt if you're crying."

"I'm not hurt!" More tears streamed down her cheeks. She spun away from him. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? "Idiot." Minutes passed. She glanced over her shoulder to find him still sitting there. "Don't you have something better to do than sit there and stare at me?"

"Like what?" Luffy tilted his head. "My friend is hurting. What else would I be doing?"

"I'm not your friend." Cade attempted to yell those words at him but she was too exhausted to fight. "Just go away. I want to be alone."

"Let's get something to eat," Luffy said.

Cade sighed. Her stomach growled.

"You're hungry too. Hey! I know where we can go." Luffy grabbed her wrist.

"Hey!" Cade pulled against him but he managed to pull her to her feet. "I don't want to go anywhere with you!"

"But you're hungry! It's breakfast time!" Luffy smiled back at her.

"Where are we going? It better not be into town."

"Of course it is."

"No!" Cade dug her heels in. Her sudden movement jerked Luffy backwards. He landed on his back and stared up at her.

"What?"

"I can't go into town."

"Why not?"

"I just can't!"

"That's not a reason."

Cade growled. "I'm a fishman, you idiot!"

"So?"

Cade rubbed her temple. "Don't you know anything? Humans hate fishmen."

"I don't hate them." Luffy sat up. Holding onto his ankles he stared up at her. "And I really like you."

Cade sighed. Clearly she wasn't going to get rid of this idiot any time soon. She untied her makeshift cloak from her waist and pulled it over her shoulders then her head. "Fine. Let's go. But only for a short time."

"Yes!" Luffy leapt to his feet. He grabbed her hand and headed down the beach.

A spark. Her eyes fell to their connected hands. Did she imagine that? No. It was still there. Something about him holding her hand was…she didn't know what to call it. All she knew was something was there between them. She was so distracted by it she didn't even noticed they had entered the small village. Her hand tightened around his.

Luffy smiled back at her when she did this.

The people looked at them as they passed.

Cade swallowed. Any second now they would notice she wasn't human. Then it would be over. They would capture her and turn her into a slave, or sell her off to become a slave.

"There it is!" Luffy's voice pulled her attention.

Cade glanced upward just in time to see the Party Bar sign before he pulled her into the building. Her nose was hammered with the scent of booze for the second time since she had been on the island.

"Good morning, Luffy."

Cade turned to find Luffy pulled her towards the bar. A woman with shoulder length green hair and a kind smile stood behind it.

"Makino!" Luffy climbed upon a barstool.

"I see you have company today." Makino looked at Cade.

Cade pulled her hood closer around her face.

"This is Cade." Luffy waved his hand at her. "She's a fishman."

"Luffy!" Cade snapped. So much for keeping her identity a secret. The jerk. Moron. Bonehead. _Idiot_.

"A fishman?" Makino eyed Cade closely.

Cade tensed.

"Don't be silly, Luffy," a man from the bar said.

"Fishmen don't live around here," a second man said.

"They do now! And Cade is my friend!" Luffy said.

The first man stood from the table and walked over to them. He reached for Cade's sheet. "Well, let's see if she really is a fishman."

"Stop it!" Cade slapped his hand away. Instantly she regretted it. Her webbed hand hung out in the air for all to see.

A stunned gasp filled the building.

"She is a fishman."

"I don't believe it."

"What's a fishman doing all the way out here?"

"I've never seen one before. They're supposed to be really strong, aren't they?"

Someone screamed. "We're all going to die!"

Heart pounding, Cade gritted her teeth. Hand on her dagger she prepared herself to fight and to run. This was a bad idea. She shouldn't have come here.

"Shut up!"

Cade looked to find Luffy standing on the barstool beside her.

"You all be nice to her! She's my friend! I won't let any of you hurt her!" Luffy's eyebrows narrowed at the people in the bar. "So be nice!"

The people paused and stared at the young boy.

Cade gapped at Luffy. He was serious. She couldn't believe it. He really saw her as his friend after such a short amount of time. And it didn't matter that she was a fishman.

Luffy looked at her and grinned.

"So what can I get you for breakfast?" Makino's voice sliced through the silence. Everyone went back to their own business, no one saying another word to or about Cade.

Dazed Cade crawled upon a barstool beside Luffy. She didn't hear him ordering them something to eat. She didn't even notice when the food was brought or when she had even picked up the fork. It was hard to comprehend. This young boy stood up for her. They didn't even know each other, not really. Yet he did it anyway.

After eating Cade wandered out of the bar and down to the small dock. Luffy's words continued to run through her mind. She had made a friend. With a human no less. And she was surprised to find she believed him. But how? Why? Pausing she turned to the water. "Luffy?"

"Hm?"  
"About earlier."

"Earlier?"

"When we were still near the forest. I was crying."

"What about it?"

"I lied. I had a nightmare about my mom being killed. It hurt." Cade sat down and hugged her knees to her chest. "I miss her so much."

"Well, next time just tell me. I'll chase that nightmare away!" He squatted down beside her and smiled.

Cade looked at him. Did he always have to smile like that? So bright, happy, and carefree? She watched him for a moment longer before pressing her lips to his. "All right, Luffy."

"What?! What the heck was that?!" Luffy, arms spinning like pinwheels, fell back onto the sand.

"I don't know." Cade blinked rapidly. Confusion swirled in her mind. She had never kissed anyone like that before. "I just felt like giving you a kiss. And, if you really do become a pirate, I will join you."

"Yes!" Luffy leapt into the air.

"However, my first and foremost mission with traveling with you is to find my brother," Cade said.

"Of course!" Luffy nodded. "I'll help you find him! I promise!"

Cade nodded. It was set. Whatever happened she was joining this idiot to sail the seas when, if, he really became a pirate. She sighed. Now she was the idiot.


	3. Pirates: Friend & Foe

Pirates

Friend & Foe

"Red Hair Shanks?" Cade paused mid-punch to look at Luffy.

"That's right." Luffy nodded from his spot on the ground. "He stops by here once in a while."

"Huh." Cade turned back to the tree branch. Taking a relaxing breath she pulled back her hand and brought it down on the branch. The wood cracked and snapped, splitting into two.

"I keep asking him to take me on his ship but his answer is always no." Holding onto his ankles he leaned back and looked up at the sky. "I hope he comes back soon. I want him to meet my new friend."

"How about you help clean up instead of just sitting there?" Cade chopped the branch again with her hand then picked up the pieces and carried them over to a pile she and a few others had started. She dropped them on the pile then brushed her arm over her forehead, brushing the sweat away. Her eyes drifted around the island. The storm that had blown through last night had caused a lot of damage. Trees had been ripped from their roots, walls and roofs had been torn away from some buildings, and some sea life had landed on land and died.

Thankfully no one was injured. And the damage that was done could easily be taken care of.

"You're working hard." Makino walked up to them with a picnic basket in her hand.

"Well, someone has to." Cade shot a look at Luffy.

"Did you bring food?" Luffy leaped up and started digging through the picnic basket.

"Luffy." Cade huffed. "Slow down. It's not like the food is going to get up and run away."

"It's all right. Here." Makino pulled out a canteen. "You need to keep hydrated. Its rather warm today."

"Thanks." Cade took the canteen and chugged down some water. While doing so she took a moment to stare at the green haired woman. Somehow in the three weeks that she had been here Makino managed to figure out what her weakness was. Since she was a fishman she was prone to dehydration if she didn't drink enough or get in the water on hot days. And the woman always brought her water to drink despite it being unnecessary. Being close to the water it made it easy to keep hydrated. Still she had to admit, to herself at least, that it was nice of Makino to care.

"Cade, I've been meaning to ask," Makino said.

"Hm? Ask what?"

"How old are you?"

"Eight."

"So you're a year older than Luffy."

"I guess so." Cade looked to Luffy. The boy had a half eaten sandwich in his hand. "He seems a lot younger."

"I suppose he does." Makino giggled.

"Look out!" someone screamed.

The three turned to find the side of a house, which was being rebuilt, was falling towards the people trying to fix it.

Dropping the canteen Cade dashed for the wall. The weight landed on her up stretched hands. Vibrations from the hit radiated through her arms. With a grunt she pushed the wall back into place.

"Grab those boards! Get it stable!" Men scrambled to grab boards to prop up the wall. Boards thumped into place. The weight lifted off Cade's hands. She stumbled backwards and dropped to the ground. "Hey, thanks a lot."

"Yeah. You really saved us. I mean I heard fishmen were strong but I never would have imagined a kid could hold up a wall on her own."

Cade looked to the men surrounding her. They beamed at her with smiles. She rubbed her neck. "Uh, yeah. Whatever. I just reacted. Beside the wall isn't finished. It's only the skeleton of the wall. So it's not really all that heavy."

"It's still amazing. You won't find any human kids doing something like that bare handed."

"Cade! You're amazing!" Luffy ran over to her and hugged her.

"Shut up." Cade shoved him off her then stood up. She dusted herself off and refused to look at anyone.

"She's just being modest," Makino said. "I think she's starting to like all of us."

The men nodded in agreement.

Cade scoffed despite Makino not being far off. She grown to trust the people in this small village, a little bit, but she still refused to let her guard down. They had royalty and nobility on this island after all. They lived on the other side of the island so she hadn't seen them in person yet. And from what she could gather they never came to this side. Still she refused to let her guard down. She wasn't going to get caught again.

"I know!" Makino clapped her hands together. "We have a lot of unused wood now. Why don't we have a bond fire?"

"Yeah! A party!" Luffy threw his hands in the air. "With lots of meat!"

"It's amazing you're alive with how much meat you eat," Cade said.

"Meat is good," Luffy said.

Cade shook her head. Luffy was by far the most stubborn kid she had ever met. And the most obsessed with something.

"I'll get started on the fire," Makino said walking away.

"My wife and I have some potatoes we can donate to the bond fire."

"I have some fish."

"I've got plenty of tomatoes and corn on the cob."

"Party!" Luffy jumped around. "Party! Party!"

"Calm down." Cade grabbed his shirttail and drug him away from the house. "We still have a lot of work to do before we can party."

"Aw." Luffy pouted. "Working's no fun."

"Then think of it as training." Cade glanced back over her shoulder. "You said you wanted to get strong, right? That won't happen if you sit around on your butt all the time." She deposited Luffy beside her woodpile. "Build up your stamina by carrying these heavy tree limbs over to Makino."

"Right!" Luffy scrambled to grab some of the limbs. With an armful he stumbled his way over to where Makino was getting the fire ready.

Cade crossed her arms and watched him. "Well, at least he's doing something now."

…

An hour later the salty air was replaced with smoke and spices being used for their party food. While there were still three hours of light left everyone started putting up their tools and headed over to the bond fire.

"Hey, Cade!" Makino called. "Why don't you call it a day?"

Cade sighed. She wasn't ready to call it a day yet. There was still a lot of work they could do before the sun went down.

"Cade!" Luffy waved to her.

Cade abandoned her tree limb clean up to join her friend when he called. Luckily they sat away from everyone else. She wasn't ready to become completely integrated with everyone.

Luffy already had a pile of food for them so she ate off the plate while everyone chatted on about whatever they felt like. It didn't take long for their party to be filled with drunken men. They danced around the fire, singing songs she had never heard before.

A smirk pulled across her face when one of the drunken men almost fell into the fire. The mayor ranted at them for a few minutes about being careless. But the men laughed and continued to have fun without a care of the dangers they were putting themselves in by getting drunk.

Cade bit into her roast and slowly chewed it. Her mind wandered to her brother. Surely by this time he was an official slave. She hoped he got someone who would be kind to him. If that was possible at all. Most likely it wasn't. He was still so little. How bad would they beat him for not being able to work like an adult? Would there be other fishmen slaves? If there were maybe they would help him, keep him safe and unharmed until he could work…until she could save him.

The wood crackled. Her eyes lifted to the night sky. _Hold on, little brother. I promise I will come for you. I will find you even if I have to sail to the ends of the sea._

…

Cade settled into the hot water with a content sigh. The fire below the barrel crackled. Her tense muscles relaxed. "This feels nice. I guess I worked a lot more than I though today."

The bathroom door flung open. Luffy ran in, naked. "Bath time!"

Cade huffed, glad she was a fishman instead of a human. If she were human Luffy entering the bathroom with her would have been very awkward. She eyed the boy as he climbed in the barrel with her. Well, maybe it wouldn't have been awkward. Luffy didn't seem to notice the physical difference between them. And this wasn't the first time they had bathed together. She blinked. Maybe he did and just didn't care. "Hey, Luffy?"

"Hm?"

"Do you know the difference between boys and girls?"

"Of course I do! Girls don't have family jewels."

Clearly he didn't care. She shrugged. She didn't really care either. It was becoming abundantly clear that she didn't mind Luffy seeing her naked. Neither had romantic feelings for the other. So it really didn't matter. It never would. And they had no parents to stop them. They lived alone in a small house close to the mayor's house. She had learned not long ago that Luffy had turned down living with the mayor. He had even turned down living at Makino's.

Scooping water in her hands she splashed it on her face.

After bathing the two dressed and crawled into their shared bed. Luffy instantly fell asleep, snoring as always. Cade laid there in the moonlit room, thinking about her brother and how she could find him. Nothing definite came to mind. The world was a big place. What could one little fishman girl do to find another fishman in this world? She didn't even have a clue of where to start. Maybe it didn't matter in the end. Maybe all she had to do was just go and let the waters bring them back together.

She rolled onto her side. Her eyes met Luffy's sleeping face. A smile came to her lips. She wished she were more carefree like him. Tears swelled in her eyes. Before she knew it Luffy was awake and pressing his hand to her cheek.

"You're crying again."

"Sorry. I'm thinking about my brother. I have no idea how I'm going to find him."

"You will. I'm going to help you. Together we will find your brother. That's a promise. And I never break my promises."

"You're a bit too optimistic, Luffy."

"Because I know we can do it!" Luffy grinned.

Warmth spread through Cade's head. Leaning closer to him she kissed his lips. Luffy chuckled at their lips connecting. Maybe she was crazy but in that moment she felt like they would find Kale.

"Now sleep." Luffy patted her cheek before taking her hand in his. "And remember that you will always have me. I'm your brother now, too."

"Thanks, Luffy." Sleepiness washed over her. With a content sigh she closed her eyes and fell asleep with her hand still in his.

…

Eyes closed, Cade exhaled. Arms out to her sides, palms up to the sky, she slowly brought her hands together above her head then pressed them together and lowered them to her face like she were praying. She held that pose for a few seconds before tilting her fingers away from her and stretching out her arms. Parting her hands she opened her eyes. A bubble of water appeared in between her palms. Once it was big enough to cover her palm she spun around. The water trailed her movements until the ends connected together. She remained in the center as the water sped up.

"So cool! What is that move?!" Luffy ran up to her.

Cade's eyebrows rose. It was amazing he had noticed her at all. The whole time she had been training this morning he had been playing around on the beach. "Current Deflect. It's a defense move to keep someone from punching or kicking you. The water moves so fast no one can get a hit through."

"Really?" Luffy eyed the running water.

"Go ahead and try to hit me."

"All right. But I have to warn you. My punches are like two pistols." Luffy punched the air.

Cade rolled her eyes. Flies had more power behind their punches than Luffy did. "Just do it."

Luffy nodded. He pulled back his fist and swung.

Cade watched Luffy's punch fly towards her. The second his skin came in contact with the water it shot his fist away from her.

Luffy spun from the pressure of the water moving him. Facing her his eyes blinked rapidly before widening. "That was so cool! I knew you would be a great addition to my pirate crew!"

"Whatever you say, _Captain_." Cade smiled.

"Well, well, well." The two whipped around to find several men surrounding them. "Isn't that cute. A little boy who thinks he's a pirate captain and a freak who's following along with him."

Cade glared. The swords at their hips and the bandanas around their heads were a clear indication they were pirates.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked.

"I'm a real pirate captain." The man leaned closer to them. "My crew and I are here to claim this island as our own."

Cade waved a hand to push away his foul smelling breath. Apparently he didn't know about oral hygiene. His black teeth backed that truth up.

"Hey! You can't claim this island! It doesn't belong to you!" Luffy shouted.

The pirates laughed as the captain said, "It belongs to me now. My boys will raid this place as soon as we put you two in your place."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Cade crossed her arms and faced the pirates.

"It means that you two are going to be my personal slaves." The captain grinned.

"I am no one's slave!" Rage erupted in Cade's chest. She spread out her water currents. Trapping the pirates inside of them she threw them into the air then banished her water. The pirates landed hard on the beach.

"You little brat!" The captain coughed sand from his mouth. "Attack! Put them in their place! But don't kill them! I want them alive!"

The pirates jumped to their feet, pulled their weapons out, and stalked towards the kids.

Luffy lifted his fists.

Cade brought her hands together to call on her water again. Just as she spun around a pirate grabbed her wrist. He jerked her towards him while another pirate grabbed onto Luffy.

"Let go of us!" Luffy kicked and wriggled but the pirate held strong.

Cade snapped her sharp teeth at the pirate's arm.

"Hey!" The pirate released her.

Cade brought her hands together again but two other pirates grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her. They pushed her to her knees and held her in place. "Let go of me!"

"You brat!" The pirate she tried to bite stepped towards her. He took her a hold of her hand then brought his elbow down on her arm between her wrist and elbow.

The sharp pain snap and vibrated through her body. White sparks flashed through her eyes. A scream ripped from her mouth.

"You jerk!" The rage in Luffy's voice was clear. He flailed against the pirate holding him but they were too weak, too small, too inexperienced to over take a group of adult men, of pirates. "You'll pay for hurting her!"

Cade dropped to her knees as the pirates released her. She cradled her broken arm to her stomach.

"Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" Luffy cried, kicking wildly.

"Well, this is a very unpleasant sight," another man said. "Are you seriously attacking children?"

Cade lifted her eyes. Dark shapes swayed in her vision before clearing enough to see. Another group of men stood gathered together. At the front of them was a man wearing a straw hat and had red hair. One of his hands held onto his belt.

"Shanks!" Luffy shouted.

"Shanks?" Cade glanced at Luffy then back to the red haired man. This was the man, the pirate captain and crew, that Luffy had told her about?

"Captain," one of the attacking pirate crew said, "that's Red Hair Shanks."

The captain scoffed. "I don't care. This is our island now. They're not allowed to set foot here unless they pay me four hundred million berries each. Attack!"

Cade watched as the pirates raced for Shanks and his crew. Fists flew. Swords were swung. Feet struck out. Grunts. Blood. Gun shots. All of it mixed together as the two crews fought. Then, as quickly as it started, it was over. The pirates that attacked Shanks and his crew were on the ground. She blinked in amazement. It was hard to believe how quickly the fight had ended.

"Are you two all right?" With a confident but cocky grin Shanks walked closer to them.

"That was so cool! You beat them so fast! But how dare you interfere! We could have taken them!" Luffy's eyes bounced between sparkling and a glare. "I mean Cade is hurt! They broke her arm!"

"Really?" Shanks bent down and reached for her. "Let me see. I have a good doctor who can fix you right up."

"Don't touch me!" Cade snapped and pulled away from him. She forced back a wince when the movement shot more pain through her arm. Her head swayed but she refused to show weakness. "I don't need your help!" She growled when Shanks's smile remained in place.

"You're a feisty little thing, aren't you?" Shanks said.

"And you're an idiot human," Cade snapped.

"It's good that you're strong and have some bite to you," Shanks said with a glance behind her. He nodded then returned his eyes to hers. "But you need to be careful with that. It could get you into trouble."

Cade parted her lips to replay when suddenly a pressure came to her neck and the world went black.

…

Cade opened her eyes, the wooden ceiling above her swayed before settling in place. She breathed in. Sea salt and antiseptics flooded her nostrils. Her mind was fuzzy as she tried to piece together what happened and where she was.

Then she remembered. She and Luffy were fighting against some pirates before Shanks and his crew showed up. The newly arrived crew had easily defeated the other pirate crew. Luffy then told Shanks that her arm was broken. Shanks had knelt in front of her and reached for her arm. He looked behind her and nodded before something pressed against her neck and she blacked out. She sat up with a growl. "That idiot human knocked me out."

"Technically, I had my first mate knock you out."

Cade turned to find Shanks leaning against the doorframe with his cocky grin still on his face. She glared at him. "Why did you do that?"

"Because your arm needed attention and you clearly weren't going to come willingly. Quite stubborn you are."

"Are you kidding me? You had your man sneak up behind me and knock me out! I didn't have to come with you! And that's called kidnapping!" Cade growled.

"He didn't sneak upon you. He moved normally. If you had paid better attention to those around you then you would have noticed him coming. And we didn't kidnap you. We're still docked at the island. We never left."

Cade snarled. He was right. How she hated that he was right. She had a long way to go before setting out to sea. She was completely helpless against that pirate crew and against Shanks and his crew.

"Besides I couldn't let a friend of Luffy's go off injured." Shanks walked over to her.

Cade stiffened and reached for her dagger. It was gone.

"Don't bother. I had your dagger removed." Shanks reached out and picked up her right hand.

Cade flinched as pain shot through her arm.

"It's broken but should heal just fine. I had my ship doctor set it for you," Shanks said while inspecting the cast around her arm.

Cade followed his glance. She didn't even notice a cast had been placed on her arm. "You…helped me?"

Shanks nodded.

"Why?"

"I told you. It's because you're Luffy's friend." Shanks smiled at her.

Cade inspected him. He did it just because Luffy was her friend?

Shanks expression softened as he straightened up. "I can understand your hesitation in trusting people. Luffy told me about your mom and brother."

"That idiot," Cade said through gritted teeth. "He just doesn't know when to keep quiet."

"Did you tell him to keep quiet?"

Cade flinched. She didn't. So she had no right to blame Luffy.

"I know it's going to be hard for you to believe me because of what's happened to you but a lot of humans like fishmen." Shanks patted her head. "And my crew are part of those who do like your people. You have nothing to fear from us."


	4. Devil Fruit

Devil Fruit

Cade turned her eyes away from the pirate captain, spotting her pouch lying on the table beside the bed. "My dagger's missing."

"I think I saw Luffy with it," Shanks said. "He was in here a little while ago."

"That boy." Reaching into it she pulled out her mother's locket and opened it. A picture of herself, her brother, and her mom took up the space on the right side of the locket. The left side held a picture of her father. Ignoring her dad she stared at her brother.

"Is that your family?" Shanks asked.

Cade jumped. The man had moved closer to her and was staring over her shoulder. She slammed the locket closed. "Don't do that! And it's none of your business."

Shanks chuckled and pulled back from her. "You know, it's not often a fishman child is seen out on her own. What happened to your parents?"

"Again, none of your business." Cade glared.

"You really do have trust issues." Shanks rubbed his chin in thought.

Cade opened her mouth to snap at him again when a ruckus from outside stopped her. "Your crew partying or something?"

"They shouldn't be." Shanks headed for the door.

Cade followed him, returning her locket to her pouch and her pouch to her hips. She followed him down a short hall before stepping outside.

"I told you we didn't need your help!" Luffy said.

"Sure thing, Luffy," a pirate said while his crewmates laughed.

Squinting into the sun Cade spotted Luffy standing on the railing of the ship. He held her dagger in his hand, blade pointed at his face. "Luffy? What are you doing pointing my dagger at your face?"

"I am brave!" Luffy shouted. "And I can proved it!" He moved the dagger closer to his face.

"Luffy!" Cade rushed down the stairs, right behind Shanks.

"Hey! Don't do that, kid! What are you stupid?!" Shanks shouted.

Cade leaped towards Luffy. Her hand reached for her dagger but she wasn't quick enough. The blade sunk into Luffy's skin just below his eye. Iron filled the air as blood spurted from the cut. Her stomach turned as her mom's death flashed through her mind. Tears streaked down her cheeks. In slow motion the dagger lowered from his face. A snap sounded through the air. A stinging feeling appeared on her hand. Luffy's body fell. His body thumping against the deck brought movement back to normal pace. "You idiot! What do you think you were doing?!"

"Proving how strong and brave I am!" Luffy said jumping to his feet.

"Moron!" Cade punched him in the chest. Luffy slammed back against the ship railing. "You could have seriously hurt yourself! You could have _killed_ yourself! That wasn't brave or proof of you being strong!" She dropped to her knees, slamming her fist on the deck. "That was you being stupid! You stupid! Moron! Idiot! If you had died…if you had died…I…I don't ever want to see someone I care about die in front of me ever again!"

"Cade." Luffy blinked.

Cade placed her uninjured arm across her eyes, sniffling as more tears poured from her eyes. "Idiot. You're such an idiot."

"Way to go, Luffy." Benn crossed his arms. "You made her cry."

"I didn't mean to!" Luffy got up on his knees in front of Cade, waving his hands frantically. "Stop it, Cade! You're a pirate! Pirates aren't supposed to cry!"

"Then don't be so stupid next time!" Cade snapped, moving her arm from her face.

"Fine." Luffy brushed away her tears. "Now stop crying. I'm not going to die."

Cade brushed her eyes with the back of her hand, sniffed, and then looked at Luffy. Her eyes fell to the scar on his face. Blood leaked down his tan skin. "Geez, Luffy. Another half an inch up and you would have blinded yourself." She sighed. "We better get this taken care of."

"Do you know how to stitch up a cut?" Yasopp asked.

"Cade knows first aid," Luffy said. "She's taken care of my cuts and wants to learn more first aid. She's amazingly strong!"

"Is that so?" Shanks flickered a quick glance at Cade before looking back at Luffy. "So where are Cade's parents?"  
"Cade's mom was killed by pirates. She, her mom, and brother were going to be slaves. And she doesn't know where her dad is," Luffy said before Cade could stop him.

"Luffy!" Cade snapped.

"I see." Shanks nodded. "That would explain why you don't trust people. Then it's settled." He turned his head to his crew. "Ross?"

"Captain?"  
Cade looked over her shoulder to see a man two inches taller than Shanks step forward. The man wore a green bandana over his shaggy brown hair and a flowery yellow shirt with torn long shorts.

"Help them out." Shanks then addressed the crew. "You all be nice to Cade. She's been through a lot."

"Hey! You can't decided that on your own!" Cade said.

"Sure thing, Captain," Lucky Roo said. "She seems like a nice kid."

"She's very nice," Luffy said.

"Don't ignore me!" Cade looked at Shanks then at Luffy. "Stop encouraging them, Luffy! I don't want anything from them!"

The crew laughed.

Cade glowered. Why did she have to come across such moronic humans?

"You're so cute." Shanks patted Cade's head.

Cade shook his hand off. "Touch me again and I'll bite you."

"No, you won't." Shanks bent down to her level and smiled. "If you could do that then you never would have gotten your arm broke by those other pirates."

Cade growled. How she hated Shanks was right.

"I think that's enough harassing her, Captain," Ross said. "Come with me, kids. Let's get that cut taken care of."

Cade and Luffy stood and followed the man back into the infirmary.

"Sit there." Ross waved to a stool.

Luffy crawled up on it.

Cade stood at Luffy's side with her arms crossed as the doctor rummaged through a drawer. Alcohol filled the room before he doctor sat on the chair in front of Luffy. She watched as the doctor disinfected the cut, dabbed a sharp smelling medication on Luffy's cheek, making the boy grit his teeth at the pain, and then thread a very fine thread through Luffy's skin.

"Here." Ross held the needle out to her.

"Me?"

"Luffy said you wanted to learn more about first aid. Just be careful threading it through Luffy's skin." He nodded to the alcohol he used to disinfect his hands. "Use that first."

Cade didn't move. She eyed the doctor carefully then looked at Luffy. Luffy was calm and smiling like always. With a deep breath she decided to give this guy the benefit of the doubt. Since Luffy trusted him then she should be able to as well. She disinfected her hands then took the needle. With the doctor watching her carefully she finished sewing up the cut.

"Very good. Now carefully tie it off. Make sure to get the knot close to the skin."

Cade looped the thread around and pushed the knot down to Luffy's cheek.

"You did it." Ross nodded and clapped. "Very good."

"That wasn't so bad." Cade handed him the needle back.

"You could be the crew's doctor!" Luffy said.

"I don't think so. It would take far too long for me to become a doctor." Cade shook her head. "I'm only going to learn enough to keep us alive. Hopefully we won't get any life threatening injures before we find a real doctor for the crew."

"Right!" Luffy nodded.

"So you're still wanting to become a pirate." Ross put up his supplies.

"Of course! I'm going to be king of the pirates!" Luffy stood on the stool and punched the air.

Ross laughed. "Sure you are."

"I will! You'll see!" Luffy said.

Ross headed for the door.

Cade and Luffy followed after him.

"You're back," Shanks said from the dock. "If you're ready we'll start your training now."

"Excuse me?" Cade looked at the red haired man.

"You heard me." Shanks pointed at the ground. "Now get down here. You seriously need to learn how to trust people."

"Not going to happen!"

"Come on." Shanks smiled. "It'll be fun!"

Cade jumped down to the dock and stomped passed the pirate. "No way!"

"Wait for me!" Luffy ran to catch up with her.

Cade paused to wait for Luffy. When he caught up with her they started walking again. "Let's go home."

"What? No way! Shanks and his crew just arrived!" Luffy said. "We're going with them!"

Cade sighed. She wanted to argue with Luffy but knew it wouldn't change his mind. So she reluctantly followed the pirate crew. They ended up going to the Party Bar.

"Welcome back, boys," Makino said.

"Makino." Shanks sat at the bar while his crew took up chairs and tables. "It's good to see you again. Saki all around."

"Of course. Coming right up." Makino walked away.

Cade took her seat beside Luffy. A few minutes passed. She found her mind recalling their time on the pirate ship. Her eyes flittered to Luffy. She had slapped him. And she had been so worried about him dying that she had actually cried. Her eyes dropped to the bar top. When exactly had she become so fond of Luffy that she feared him dying? It was strange. She really didn't know what to think of it all. All she knew was she didn't want to lose him.

"Would you like some water, Cade?" Makino asked.

Cade started and looked up. "Huh?"

"You look like you've got something on your mind." Makino filled a glass for Cade and placed it in front of the fishman girl.

"Nothing much. Just thinking." Cade downed half the water.

"Oh dear. Your arm." Makino's eyes landed on the cast. "What happened?"

"Some pirates landed on the island and tried to take Luffy and me as slaves." Cade looked at her arm.

"But Shanks arrived just in time," Luffy said.

"Oh, yeah. That reminds me. I cleaned your dagger for you."

Cade turned to see a man with curly hair holding out her dagger towards her. She snatched it away and mumbled, "Thanks."

"I'm glad you two are okay. Thanks for helping them, Shanks," Makino said.

"Not a problem. Though I don't think Cade appreciates it very much." Shanks smirked at the young fishman girl.

Cade glared at him then turned her eyes back to the water. The joyous laughter of the pirates and the clunking of their mugs soon faded away from her. She did her best to ignore the pirates until a crash pulled her from her thoughts.

"Do you think a small bottle like that could satisfy me? That's not even enough for a nightcap. Do you even know who I am? I'm Higuma. A mountain bandit worth eighty million."

Cade turned to find more men had entered into the building. One was standing next to Shanks. His black hair was partly pulled back in a ponytail and he wore a sword at his side. The pirate was wet with booze.

"Just great," Shanks said, looking at the mess that was made. "What a mess."

Higuma unsheathed his sword with lightning fast reflexes. The blade cut through the countertop and through the bottles sitting there as Shanks backed off his stool. The glass bottles shattered, scattering on the bar and floor. "Don't mess with me or else."

Cade watched the man leave the bar with his men followed him.

"Oh my gosh!" Makino rushed around the bar and knelt down to Shanks, trying to clean him off with a rag. "Are you all right?"

Shanks sat there for a second before a smile pulled across his lips. Then he was laughing with his crew.

"He sure showed you, Captain!"

"That was great!"

"Stop that!" Luffy shouted, jumping to his feet on his stool. "Why are you all laughing?! You should have fought back! Your not a man for doing nothing!"

"It's no big deal, Luffy," Shanks said. "The guy just spilled some booze on me."

"Whatever!" Luffy sat back down.

Cade sighed and took a drink of her water. She wasn't sure if Shanks was in the right or not. Shanks seemed like a very patient man. Not much seemed to get to him.

"Hey! Don't tell me you ate the fruit in that box!" Shanks screamed.

Cade turned once more to find Shanks was holding Luffy by his ankles. "Luffy, what did you do now?"

"Spit it out! Right now! Spit it all out!" Shanks demanded while shaking the boy up and down.

Cade's eyes widened when Luffy's neck stretched and his face slammed into the floor. "What the heck?!"

Luffy's head sprung back to his shoulders. "What…what just happened?"

"Luffy!" Shanks screamed. "You just ate the Gum Gum Fruit! You idiot!"

"Gum Gum Fruit?" Cade asked.

"It's a Devil Fruit," Benn said. "Luffy is now made of rubber. And he'll never be able to swim again."

"Luffy! You moron!" Cade punched Luffy's head only to have it bob unharmed. "You should know better than to go around and eat strange food and food that doesn't belong to you! Now you won't be able to swim! How are you going to be a pirate?!"

"I don't need to swim to be a pirate!" Luffy said. "Why did you hit me?! That's the second time today!"

"Because you deserved it!" Cade said. "You don't eat unknown foods and stab yourself!"

"Luffy's right about one thing." Yasopp draped his arm over the back of his chair. "People don't need to swim to be a pirate. It'll be tricky, but do able."

"Besides, I have you to be my lifeguard." Luffy, still upside down in Shanks hold, smiled.

"Your lifeguard?" Cade looked at Luffy.

"Yes." He nodded. "You don't want to be a doctor. And you're a very good swimmer. If I happen to fall into the sea then you can come for me."

"He's got a point." Shanks placed Luffy down then reclaimed his stool. "Fishmen are strong swimmers. If this bonehead does fall overboard you'll be able to save him no matter the condition of the sea or weather."

"I guess you're right," Cade said. "Fishmen are better in the water than humans."

"Then it's settled! You are my first mate and lifeguard!" Luffy crossed his arms over his chest.

Cade's lips twisted into a smile. A lifeguard would be the perfect position to her.

…

Cade sat up in bed. She blinked before turning to her right. Blinking again she saw that Luffy wasn't in bed with her. "Where would he go this early in the day?"

With a shrug she crawled out of bed and got ready for the day. As she dressed she thought about her training sessions with the pirates. She had gotten better this past week. She was finally able to see Benn's moves and dodge them with relative ease. Though she still had a long way to go to get as strong as those pirates were. She still couldn't land a single punch on the pirate.

Cade cracked an egg. It plopped into the pan and sizzled.

Sitting down to eat concern for Luffy slowly crept into her mind. She couldn't shake the feeling something wasn't right. "Where did he go? He's always here when I wake up. In fact I'm always awake before he is." She swallowed and licked her lips before dread hammered her. She smacked herself on the forehead. "Oh no. Don't tell me he went back to fight those bandits."

Cade bolted away from the house. Dashing through the town her eyes scanned for Luffy but his black hair and smile never appeared. She bolted into the Party Bar, but found no one there. She ran back out and headed on through the town. A gunshot rang out through the air. She headed towards the sound. A minute later she came upon the pirates gathered together.

"What?! Oh no! I let him get away!" Shanks shouted out. "He has Luffy!"

"What?!" Cade shrieked.

"Oh, Cade." Yasopp turned to look at her. "When did you get here?"

"Where's Luffy?! Who has him?!" Cade demanded.

"That bandit from yesterday took off with him," Yasopp said. "Luffy was fighting him."

Cade gritted her teeth. "I should have known sooner that's what he would do." She glanced around. "But where would that guy take him?"

"There's a high possibility that the bandit will kill Luffy," Benn said.

"The ocean." Heart racing, Cade's eyes shot to the blue sea. That's where the bandit had to go. Going on foot would be too easy for them to follow. And they had a head start. She bolted towards the water.

"Hey!" Shanks called out.

Cade's feet pounded on the ground as she ran. The seconds ticked by painfully slow as the water came closer and closer. Reaching the beach she could see a small black dot in the distance. That had to be the mountain bandit and Luffy. Without stopping she ran and dove into the water. Like a rocket she show towards it to find Luffy struggling in the water, scaring schools of fish as she went. "Luffy!" Swimming up she grabbed him and swam to the surface. "You okay?!"

Luffy coughed. "Yeah. Thanks for coming."

"You're that little fishman girl I saw at the bar yesterday." The bandit smirked. "It's a shame you had to come." He pulled out his sword. "I always hated fishmen."

Cade gritted her teeth. The blade glinted in the sun as it swung towards her. Suddenly the sea king busted above the surface, creating multiple waves that threw them around. It chomped down on the bandit, cutting the man's screams off. _Crap! I forgot all about that thing! I have to get us out of here before it-_ It was too late. The creature had finished the first part of its meal and now had its red eyes set on the second part.

It lunged.

Cade watched its giant teeth coming closer and closer until a shadow blocked it. Iron mixed with sea salt. Looking up she found Shanks had his arm wrapped around both her and Luffy.

Shanks wasn't looking at them. He was glaring at the sea king. "Get lost."

The sea king froze. Fear pooled in his eyes. Fear Cade had never seen before in the beast. It dove back under the surface and was gone. She couldn't believe it. The monster that had been a terror to these waters ran away from one single look from Shanks. Her eyes drifted to the red haired man's face. Who was this man?

"Shanks…" Luffy's voice cracked. His hands clung to Shanks' shirt. "Your arm…your arm…"

"Huh?" Cade swam away from Shanks. A gasp ripped from her mouth. The pirate captain's left arm was missing. Blood pooled into the water, turning the pure blue liquid red. He had given up his arm to save them? But why? He didn't even know her.

"Luffy, it's okay. It's just an arm. I've got another one. You can't cry. You're a man now." Shanks tightened his arm around Luffy before looking at Cade. "You okay? That was a bit reckless of you to come out here on your own."

"But you…why did you…?" Cade's eyes never left the man's bloody stump. "Your arm."

"It's okay, Cade," Shanks said. "Luffy's a friend of mine. And you're a friend of his. That makes you a friend of mine now too. There's no way I could let either of you get hurt."

Cade's eyes lifted to Shanks. A human had actually sacrificed a body part for Luffy _and_ her. Her mind muddled with confusion.

"We should go back now. Sharks are going to be attracted to the blood," Shanks said.

Cade nodded.

Shanks rolled onto his back. With Luffy sitting on his stomach he started kicking back to the shore.

Cade swam beside him for a few moments before moving to grab Shanks' collar. Without a word she helped pull the two back to the beach. Shanks's crew was right there to help them.

In a daze Cade followed the pirate crew to the ship infirmary. She didn't stop on the deck. She followed Ross into the medical bay with Luffy by her side. Standing at the doctor's side she watched him sew up Shanks' wound.

"Cade? Cade? Hey, Cade!"

"Huh?" Cade jumped. Looking around she found Ross was no longer in the room. It was only her, Luffy, and Shanks. She looked at Luffy. "Sorry. Did you say something?"

"It wasn't me. It was Shanks." Luffy pointed at the pirate.  
"Are you okay? You looked kind of pale."

"Fine." Cade adverted her eyes from him.

"A human has never made such a sacrifice for you, have they?" Shanks voice was low, soft, and gentle as were his eyes.

Cade found herself shaking her head and that she wanted to talk to him. "While my mom, brother, and I were living on a nice island with a few humans, nothing like this has ever happened before. Humans are bad. I've seen it. A lot."

"I know you have. But you have also seen humans do good."

Cade nodded. Only a few times but it had happened.

"I know it's hard for you but not all humans are bad. Some are good and will help you." Shanks stood and walked to her.

Fresh tears started streaming down her face when Shanks placed his hand on her head.

"Stick with Luffy. He'll help cure you of your distrust of humans," Shanks said. "He's a good kid."

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered. "I'll help you!"

Cade nodded again before throwing her arms around the pirate's waist. She openly cried against him as he held her close.

With a soft chuckle, Shanks patted her head. "There, there. It's all right."

…

Cade collapsed to her back after two hours of training with Benn. Her chest heaved up and down as she gulped down air and thought about how stupid she was to agree to this. Due to Shanks's injury the pirate crew had no choice but to stay on the island longer than they had anticipated. And while doing so Shanks suggested that she train with his crew in an attempt to learn how to trust humans.

She didn't get far in her training at all. Mostly she spared with Benn. The man was taller than her by several feet. And his skills far surpassed her own. He had to hold back over three fourths of his strength. If not she would have been dead with one punch. It showed her how weak she really was. Gritting her teeth she slammed her fist on the sand. "Darn it. Not good enough."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Benn leaned over her, blocking out the sun. "You're pushing yourself way to fast. One can only gain strength through the years. You'll get there in time."

Cade stared up at him for a moment before relaxing. He was right. She was only eight years old. She had to be patient. Getting stronger took time. "Of course."

"Well, that was something." Shanks clapped from his spot on the sand. "Not bad at all, Cade. You're doing really well in training, especially with a broken arm."

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered.

Cade looked down at her arm. The pain was gone but it was still hard to do much of anything one handed. But she had to take care of her arm. When it got better she would train harder.

…

All too soon the day for the Red Hair Pirates to leave came. They were gathered at the docks. Even some of the townspeople came to see the pirates off. The pirate crew was loading supplies while their captain said his goodbyes.

Shanks was once again teasing Luffy on him not being able to become a pirate. So it came a quite a shock when the pirate captain lifted his hat off his head and placed it on Luffy's.

"Hold onto that for me. Bring it back to me when you become a great pirate," Shanks said before stepping over to Cade. Bending down he placed a kiss on her cheek. Her body stiffened from shock. "Take care of our rubber idiot and yourself. And remember we're your friends."

"I will." Cade nodded. "Thanks, Shanks, for everything. I'll try harder to trust humans."

"That's a good girl." Shanks nodded back before turning and heading for his ship.

"Shanks, wait!"

"Hm?" Shanks looked back at her.

"Would you please keep an eye out for my brother? I know it's a huge favor. I know it's a huge quest to try and find him…but-"

Shanks smiled. "We'll keep an eye out for him. I promise."


	5. Grandpa

Grandpa

Bending her knees Cade shot herself up to the roof of a near by house.

"Hey! Looking good, Cade!" The man below waved at her.

"Thanks!" Cade waved back before landing on the roof. Kicking off again she launched herself into the air. Bringing the heels of her hands together she formed a swirl of water. "Water Swirl!" She flew into the sky. Low clouds roamed overhead. They brushed her skin as she passed through them. It was the first time she had touched clouds. They were like walking through fog only without the eeriness.

Her body slowed its ascend. Going as far she should could, she allowed her body to fall backwards. A dark spot caught her eye. She turned to see a ship heading towards the docks. And it wasn't an ordinary ship. It was a navy ship. Its large white flag was full of wind, showing off the navy symbol with pride. "What's the navy doing here?"

Back flipping, Cade righted herself and landed on the ground then bolted for the docks. Half way there Luffy appeared. "Hey! Cade! My grandpa's here!"

"Your grandpa?" Cade slowed to walk with him.

"Yeah." Luffy nodded. "He stops by here once in a while to see how I'm doing." He chuckled, pulling Shanks's hat down over his eyes. "I can't wait to tell him Shanks gave him his straw hat."

"Is that such a good idea? I mean your grandpa's a navy man." Cade's eyes locked onto the straw hat. It had been a little over a month since Shanks and his crew left. She wondered where they were. Nothing about them had been mentioned in the newspapers lately. She hoped that didn't mean anything bad.

"It'll be fine. I've told Grandpa before that I'm going to be a pirate." Luffy started swinging his arms.

"Well, I can't wait for this meeting. I get the feeling it's going to be interesting." Reaching the docks they found several of the townspeople had come as well. They watched as the ship pulled up and dropped anchor. A gangplank thudded into place before a broad shouldered man with grey hair and beard appeared. With a wide grin he walked down the gangplank.

"It's him! Hero of the marines! Vice Admiral Garp!"

"I still can't believe after all these years he comes to our village!"

"He's really that big of a deal?" Cade asked.

The two villagers looked at her. "What? Of course he is! He's the only navy man to have cornered the king of the pirates multiple times!"

Cade turned her eyes back to the navy man. At first glance he looked nothing more than another human to her. But as he walked close to her she could feel a danger emanating from him. Her hands trembled, feeling exposed. She should have worn her cloak.

"Hm?" Garp's eyes landed on her.

Cade's instincts screamed at her to run. She took one step before Luffy's hand latched onto hers. Her eyes met his. Her promise to Shanks came back. She wasn't going to run.

Luffy smiled.

Cade smiled back. She tightened her fingers around Luffy's hand and faced Garp with determination not to be afraid or untrusting. It wasn't as easy as she thought it would be.

"What's a fishman child doing here?" Garp asked.

Cade took a deep breath and exhaled.

"This is Cade. She's my new friend," Luffy said.

"New friend, huh?" Garp's eyes turned to his grandson.

Cade watched as the man's blue eyes lifted to the hat on Luffy's head, instant recognition shown in Garp's eyes. Her body tensed. How angry was he going to be that Luffy was wearing a pirate's hat?

"That hat…where did you get it?" Garp asked.

"Shanks gave it to me!" Luffy patted the hat smiling. "I'm going to return it to him when I become a great pirate!"

"What?! You're not going to be a pirate!" Garp pulled his fist back and punched Luffy on his head.

Cade's heart jumped in her throat. She moved to grab her dagger but halted when Luffy's body squished and bounced back into place.

"What the heck?! Why did your head just bounce like rubber?!" Garp's eyes widened.

"Because I'm a rubber man now." Luffy pulled his cheek away from his face.

"What have you been doing since I've been gone?!" Garp picked up Luffy by his shirt and shook him.

Cade refused to let his hand go so his arm stretched out. "Stop it! Leave Luffy alone! He's done nothing wrong!"

"Hm?" Garp's eyes dropped down to her.

Cade tensed.

"Hold on. Calm down. I'll explain everything." The mayor stepped up. "Let's go back to my place. Luffy. Cade. You two come as well."

"Okay." Cade nodded. She expected Garp to put Luffy down but he didn't. Still holding the boy Garp followed the mayor. She had no choice but to follow as well.

Only when they entered into the mayor's living room did Garp drop Luffy on the floor. He sat down in a chair and crossed his arms and legs.

Cade knelt down next to Luffy as the mayor sat down and started to explain everything that had been happening since her arrival.

"I see." Garp stroked his chin. "You're mother has been killed and your brother could be anywhere."

Cade nodded.

"Then it's decided. I'll have to take you both up the mountain to Dadan," Garp said.

"What?!" Luffy yelled. "I'm not going anywhere!"

"Yes, you are!" Garp yelled back. "My grandson isn't going to become a pirate!"

"I am too!"

"Isn't that a rash decision?" Cade asked. She flinched when Garp looked at her. With a gulp she continued, "You've only arrived here."

"Girl, my grandson has been going on and on about becoming a pirate. As his grandfather it's my duty to make sure he grows up to be a fine marine," Garp said.

"I'm not going to be a marine!" Luffy said before falling asleep.

"Respect your elders, boy!" Garp grabbed the front of Luffy's shirt again. "Don't fall asleep when I'm-" His own head tilted back as his snoring mixed in with Luffy's.

"Are you kidding me?!" Cade snapped.

The mayor laughed, pulling Cade's eyes to him. "They are a lot a like. You'll get use to it. Garp cares about his grandson even though it might not seem like it. I know you have trust issues with humans but Garp is one man you can trust."

Cade twisted her lips. That didn't make since considering she and Luffy were suppose to be on the path to becoming pirates. That would make Garp their enemy. Or it would in the future when they set sail as real pirates.

Garp woke up. "What was I saying?" He looked at Luffy and started shaking him. "Hey! Don't fall asleep in the middle of my lecture! I'm going to beat some sense into you! You and Cade are going up the mountain with me! I'll be able to keep a closer eye on you there!"

Cade tilted her head. She couldn't figure out how he was going to do that when he was an active navy officer. Maybe this Dadan person was really close to Garp. Maybe he, or she, would be the one to actually watch them. "Who is this Dadan person?"

"Huh? She's an old friend of mine. She and her group of mountain bandits live up in the mountains. They'll keep a close eye on you and Luffy while I'm away," Garp said. "But don't get lazy. They're not an easy bunch to live with. You'll have to learn to survive on the mountain."

"Survive on the mountain," Cade mumbled. While she was still unsure about this training on a mountain might actually be a good thing. There wasn't many ways to get stronger here in the village. The mountains and forests up there would give her a lot of unfamiliar terrain and animals to survive against.

Luffy growled. "I don't want to live with a bunch of stinky mountain bandits! I hate them!"

"Get use to it! You're going!"

…

"Don't worry," Makino said. "I'll come visit as often as I can. And you two are always welcome here any time."

"Thanks, Makino," Cade said. Despite Garp saying they were going up to the mountain yesterday he gave them one more night in the village. Now it was time for them to leave.

"No! Let me go! I'm not going!" Luffy kicked and flailed but nothing he did released him from his grandpa's iron grip.

Her instincts to free him, to protect him, tapped at her mind. But she didn't.

"Let's go, Cade." Garp headed away from their group.

"Take care of yourselves." The mayor smiled.

"You too." Cade waved to the villagers as she rushed to catch up with Garp.

The walk was a long one. Garp carried Luffy the whole way. And the young boy didn't stop kicking and scream. "I told you, you old man! I don't want to be a navy man! I want to be a pirate!"

Cade sighed when Luffy grabbed a hold of a tree. His body stretched out as his grandpa kept walking. If Garp noticed he didn't show any signs of it. The tree curved to Luffy's hold then _SNAP_. The tree's roots gave way and slammed into Luffy and Garp. "Mister Garp, are you sure about taking Luffy up the mountain to mountain bandits? Do you honestly think he'll stay there?"

"Mister?" Garp smiled at her from over his shoulder. "Call me Grandpa. We're family after all."

"I never agreed to that!"

Garp laughed.

Cade huffed. "I see where Luffy gets his eccentrics from."

"It's okay, Cade." Luffy glanced back at her. "You can call him Grandpa. You're my sister after all."

"I don't recall agreeing to that either," Cade said though a happy thrill ran up and down her spine. She had another little brother to look after. And this time she wasn't going to let anything happen to him. "Fine. I'll call you Grandpa."

"Great!" Garp laughed again. "All right, Granddaughter, Luffy will stay. You two are going to have an older brother now. His name is Ace."

"I don't want an older brother! I have Cade!" Luffy said.

"Tough! I never should have left you in that village!" Garp said.

Cade went quiet after that. She listened to Luffy's complaints and arguments with his grandfather while scanning the jungle that surrounded them. There were a lot of trees she could climb. And in those trees hung some snakes. A few of the snakes were small but some were big, big enough to swallow them whole. This place was going to give them a lot of survival skills. She hoped they helped survive out on the ocean.

"There it is," Garp said a couple hours later.

Cade looked ahead. Sitting in a small clearing was a simple wood house with an open tower in the middle and a flag flying over it.

"Hey! Dadan!" Garp banged on the door.

Cade pulled out her cloak and pulled it on.

"Hm? Cade, I told you that you don't have to hide anymore," Luffy said.

Cade ignored him. She had gotten better with the villagers but not anyone else.

Feet thumped behind the door before it opened. A large woman followed by two men stepped out. The woman had curly hair, full lips, and a scowl on her face.

Cade tensed, wondering if these people were going to attack them.

The woman looked at Garp and said, "Garp! You have got to do something! Ace is ten years old now! Do you have any idea how much trouble he's been causing us?!"

"I'm not going to be able to handle much more of this! Take him back already!" the shorter of the two men said. He wore a turban around his head, a curved sword on his back, and spotted pants.

The taller man stayed silent. He had a red rooster comb on his head where his hair should have been and a thin black beard. Or maybe it was his hair. Cade didn't know for sure.

"Huh? Who are those two brats?" Dadan looked at Cade and Luffy.

"This is Cade and Luffy." Garp pointed at them. "They'll be staying with you from now on."

"What?! You're bring me two more?! Garp's…Huh?!" Dadan screamed.

"That's right. So choose," Garp said with a laugh. "Live the rest of your lives behind bars, or raise these two. I'm keeping all their eyes close to your crimes, which number more than the stars, I might add."

_So that's it,_ Cade thought as the older two keep talking. _Since these guys are criminals Garp is blackmailing them into taking care of us. And from what the two of these people said before Garp did the same thing with Ace._

"Eh! Gross!" Luffy's whine pulled her out of her thoughts.

Cade cringed as he wiped spit off his cheek.

"Hey, Ace!" Garp said.

Cade followed the old man's gaze. A boy was sitting on the carcass of a buffalo with one leg crossed over the other and a pipe in his hand. Though the freckles on his cheeks gave him a look of innocent the scowl he wore told her he was anything but innocent. Dirt and wounds, fresh and old, marred his skin. He even had a bandage on his forehead above his left eye. She wondered if he got those injuries from the buffalo.

"That's Ace. He's three years older than you, Luffy. And two years older than you, Cade," Garp said. "You're going to live with him from now on, so you better get along, got it?"

"Older than us yet has poor manners." Cade crossed her arms and glared at Ace. "You shouldn't spit on people. It's not nice."

Ace glared. He slipped off the carcass and walked over to her. "Don't tell me what to do."

"Don't be a jerk and I won't tell you what to do." Cade stood with her spine straight. She saw Ace's eyes flash with anger before his fist swung towards her. She threw up her covered hand, stopping his fist. Though her feet skidded half an inch back. _This guy's got some power behind his punch_. Light glinted in her eyes. The pipe he was holding swung towards her head. She moved to throw up her broke arm to block it but stopped and ducked instead. Flipping backwards she landed a kick on his chin, sending him flying backwards.

Ace hit the ground. Growling he sat up and shot her a heated glare.

"Wow. She's strong," the short man said. "She's just took out Ace with one hit."

"Cade's not human. She's a fishman," Garp said.

"A fishman?!" the bandits shrieked.

With a sigh Cade pulled off her hood. No point in hiding now.

"Wow. She is a fishman child," the short guy said.

"Hold on! You can't dump them on us!" Dadan said. "Especially not a fishman child! We don't know anything about them!"

"They're no different than human children. Got a problem with that?" Garp gave the bandits a look that sent then cowering down. "Good. I'm off now. Be good you two."

Cade watched Garp head back down the mountain. Apparently he wasn't going to stay any longer.

"Well, come on in," the short man said. "I'm Dogra. And that's Magra."

Luffy ran threw the door.

Cade looked back at Ace. The boy had gone back to his kill. From the looks of it he was starting to skin it. With a huff she headed inside. She walked down a short hall before stepping into a larger room. Twelve more bandits were sitting inside around a cut out square in the middle of the floor. Burnt wood sat in the square. She glanced up to find a hole in the roof. The tower she saw outside. It was to let the smoke out and keep rain out. She assumed that mean they didn't have a kitchen like the villagers did.

"If you'll come with me I'll show you two where to put your stuff," Dogra said.

Cade and Luffy followed the man down another short hall and into a room. A single bedding was lying on the floor.

"This is Ace's room," Dogra said. "Luffy will be staying in here with him. Cade, you'll be sleeping in-"

"Don't worry about it." Cade dropped her bag on the floor. "This will do."

"What? But you're a girl!" Dogra said.

"So? I've been living with Luffy for weeks." Cade took off her cloak and laid it down.

"Yes!" Luffy nodded. "Cade and I are staying together!"

Dogma sighed. "Fine. Do whatever you want. We'll be eating soon."

…

"I hate mountain bandits," Luffy said.

Cade took a gulp of her water. Roasted buffalo floated in the air but all she and Luffy were having were rice and water. She didn't mind. She wasn't really hungry anyway. But she knew Luffy wasn't enjoying their meager meal. It was surprising that he hadn't said anything about it yet.

"Shut it, brat, we're already tired with the likes of you! If you don't like it here, get out and starve to death!" Dadan said.

"Take it easy, Boss," Dogra said.

"This is too little. I want that meat too." Luffy drooled at the meat in Ace's hands.

"This meat is from the buffalo that Ace captured. It's a hard life out here. We don't just hand over food. Nothing is free out here. You will have a lot of work tomorrow. If you want to eat you will clean, do the laundry, polish our shoes and weapons, as well as rob, steal, swindle, and murder people. And you will not tell Garp what we are doing," Dadan said with a mouthful of food. "A bowl of rice and a cup of water a day. That's all you'll have. Anything else you have to get and grow up on your own."

"Getting our own food _is_ growing up on our own," Cade said. "I've been doing that for weeks now."

"Fine with me," Luffy said.

"You two agree with that?! You were supposed to cry!" Dadan smacked her head on the floor. "What's wrong with you two?!"

"My Grandpa abandoned me in the jungle once before. I can eat worms, frogs, snakes, and mushrooms as long as I want. If I'm going to become a pirate I must be able to do that by myself! And Cade's a fishman. She's already caught us lots of fish." Luffy smiled at her. "Right?"

Cade nodded.

Ace got up and left the house without a word.

"Where's Ace going?" Luffy jumped up and followed the freckled boy.

"Where are _you_ going? Did you just say pirates?!" Dadan asked.

"That's right. Luffy wants to become king of the pirates," Cade said.

"And what about you?" Dogra asked. "Have you always wanted to be a pirate?"

"No." Cade dropped her eyes to her cup. "I kind of fell into it."

"How did a fishman child end up way out here anyway?" Dadan asked.

Cade didn't answer right away. Her instincts to hide what happened to her rose to the surface again. But so did her promise to Shanks. This would be good practice for her. With a relaxing breath she told them. "Pirates caught me and my family. They were going to sell us as slaves. My mom managed to get me free of the explosive collar and throw me overboard before they killed her." She gritted her teeth. "They still have my brother. Or they did. I'm sure he's been sold by now. Luffy agreed to help me find him. That's the main reason I'm going to sail with Luffy. I have to find my little brother."

"That's so sad," Dogra said wiping his tears away.

"I never meant to make friends with Luffy," Cade continued. "But he manage to win me over. And somehow we became close in the time we've spent together. I'll do anything to protect him now."

…

Hours past. Luffy had not come back yet. Staring at the small hall leading to the front door, Cade wondered if she should go out to look for him. _I never should have left him in the first place. Who knows what kind of trouble he's gotten into out there?_

Then Ace walked back in.

"Ace, why are you back, alone?" Dogra asked.

"Weren't you with Luffy? Where is he?" Magra added.

"Who knows?" Ace shrugged.

Rage burned inside of Cade's chest. She knew Ace knew where Luffy was. Luffy had followed him. She leapt towards him and grabbed his shirt. "Where is he?!"

Ace stared at her, defiance rolling off of him.

Cade growled. He was purposefully not answering. She shoved him aside and ran out of the house.

"Wait! Cade! Don't go out there alone! You're not familiar with this place!" Dogra called.

Cade didn't stop. She had to find Luffy. Pausing outside she let her eyes drop to the ground. Luffy's footprints stared back up at her. She had never tracked anyone before. But she had to try. So she followed Luffy's prints into the jungle. For hours she tracked his footprints, almost losing them a couple times when the ground turn to rock or when Luffy climbed over something.

A thump made her pause. Holding still she listened for whatever made the noise. Goosebumps rose on her arms when she noticed the jungle was silent. The birds had vanished. Something was hunting. Whatever it was she hoped it wasn't hunting her. At dinner she had heard some of the mountain bandits talking about giant tigers living around these parts.

Cade moved forward, keeping her eyes and ears open, both on whatever was hunting and the direction she was going. It wouldn't do her or Luffy any good if they couldn't find their way back to the bandits' home. She stepped over to a tree. Dark green moss ran over its trunk. "Okay, so the bandits' home will be east of here. I think I can get us back."

She continued on. A couple minutes later she felt something charging at her. She ducked it. A large tiger landed in front of her. It roared, almost busting her eardrums in the process. Wincing she looked at the creature. "Wow. You sure are loud."

A low rumble rolled from the tiger's mouth. It slowly walked around her, eyeing her with hunger.

Cade shifted her feet so she kept herself facing the tiger. Fighting this thing with a broke wrist was not going to be easy. Running wasn't going to be any better. "Guess I got no choice."

The tiger charged.

Cade planted her hand on the ground and shot herself into the air with a swirl of water. Her foot landed on a branch. She slipped. Flailing her arms she managed to get her holding. "That was too close."

The tiger roared then jumped to the tree. Its large claws dug into the bark as it climbed towards her.

"Sorry, kitty," Cade said. "I don't have time to deal with you right now."

Cade looked to the next tree over. One of its branches was ten yards away. Easy enough. So she jumped. The tiger roared, unhappy she had gotten away. She gave the tiger a glance before jumping to the next branch then the next and the next, occasionally glancing back at the beast following her. It ran along the ground, keeping its piercing yellow eyes locked onto her.

Glancing back again she saw the tiger was gone. She was about to turn around when something slammed into her, stinging pain shot through her upper right arm. Her body flew threw the air and landed hard on the ground. Groaning she pushed herself up and found three tigers was surrounding her. Pain shot through her arm. Blood dripped from deep gashes. "Wonderful. If I didn't know better I'd think you three planned that."

The tigers growled and charged.

Cade shot herself into the air again. White spotted her vision. Her head swam. She had to get out of there. She couldn't fight when she couldn't see straight. Now it was going to beyond possible. Her feet collided with a branch. Steadying herself she looked down to multiple swaying tigers. She exhaled then focused as much as she could. Holding out her uninjured hand, she gathered as much water as she could. "D…drenching Blast!"

A gully wash of water rushed down on the tigers. They roared a sharp roar at the water rushing over them.

Huffing Cade turned to the tree. Palm facing it she fired again. "Water Swirl."

Cade went flying through the air. Branches and leaves scrapped across her skin multiple times before her back collided with a branch. Air rushed from her lungs. As she fell she grabbed onto a branch. Her body swung. She gasped for air, refilling her lungs. When she stopped swinging, and gasping, she jumped her way down to the ground. "Hopefully that'll keep the tigers from following me. Still…" She splashed herself with water and forced herself to her feet. Every so often she would splash water onto herself, hoping she was masking her scent enough.

An hour past. The sunlight started fading from the sky. She needed shelter. Looking around she spotted a small cave. She stopped at the mouth of it and peered inside before looking at the ground. Finding no animal prints she slipped inside and sat down. Huffing and puffing for air she took a minute to gather herself. Once her breathing settled down she pulled out her first aid kit and started cleaning up her cuts.

"Good. Looks like the cuts aren't as deep as I though they were." Cade tied off the thread, cut it, and put her kit away. She sat there a while longer before pulling out the last few pieces of smoked fish she had on her. "I hope I find you soon, Luffy. We're going to have to smoke more fish soon."

…

The next day Cade continued her search, pushing her way through bushes, walking around trees, climbing over roots and rocks, dodging more wild beasts that wanted to eat her.

Hours into it she was starting to question if she would ever find Luffy, or if he had already gotten back to the house, or if he was dead. She swallowed hard and pushed the last thought away. No way Luffy would die. He had told her once that this wasn't the first time his grandpa had thrown him out in the jungle. He'd be fine. And she would find him.

Just then a scream ripped through the air, coming up from a ravine.

"Luffy?" Cade ran over to the ravine and looked over. And there he was. Luffy's hat was easy to spot against the ground. And so was the pack of wolves chasing after him. "Crap! Luffy!"

Cade picked out her a path down the side of the ravine and jumped. Once close enough she leapt into the air and brought her fist down on one of the wolves. It yipped and blacked out. She leapt to the next one and the next one until they were all knocked out. She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "Luffy! Are you okay?!"

"Of course I am!"

Cade pulled back and eyed his cuts and bruises. While she wouldn't call his current state _okay_ she was grateful he was still alive. She sighed and took his hand. "Come on. Let's go back. Seriously, Luffy, with all the crap you get yourself into and survive you must have been born under one lucky, very lucky, star."


	6. Son

Son

***I decided to change the title of the story.***

"Ouch!" Cade looked at the drop of blood oozing out of her finger before putting it in her mouth. "Stupid needle. I can sew up Luffy's wounds easily. Why is sewing clothes so hard?"

"You'll get the hang of it soon," Magra said. "Keep trying."

Cade's eyes dropped down to Magra's own sewing. The man was mending some of his own clothes close by her. And he was a lot better than she was at it. The holes he was sewing up magically disappeared with the fabric around it. She had wanted to give up on sewing but her stubbornness wouldn't let her. It would help them out on the ocean since they had no idea how much money they would have at a given time. They might have to wear the same clothes for a long time. So learning to make and mend clothes was going to be well worth it, no matter how much blood she lost in the process. "Ross would laugh at me for this."

Magra chuckled. "Would you like me to help?"

"No. I don't need help." Cade, determined to master this skill, poked her needle through the fabric.

Magra sighed. "You're still so stubborn. You know, there's nothing wrong with asking for help."

"I don't need help!" Cade snapped.

"Okay!" Magra jumped then went back to his own sewing while grumbling. "Sheesh. Why is she so stubborn?"

The day had been rather quiet. Most of the bandits were out in the jungle somewhere while a few were still inside of the house. Dadan was one who remained inside. She was lying on her side, head in her hand, smoking a cigarette. Luffy and Ace had disappeared an hour ago but she figured they'd be back soon enough. The rubber boy was still determined to make Ace his friend no matter how many times Ace was mean to him. At least Ace hadn't ditched Luffy in the jungle again.

"Of course we're going to be pirates! Cade is my lifeguard and my first crewmember!" Luffy said walking into the main room.

Right on cue.

Cade looked up to find Luffy's eyes beaming with pride. A few new cuts and scraps told her Ace had hit Luffy again.

Ace was in front of Luffy, scowling as always.

"You two? As pirates? Don't make me laugh." Ace smirked. "You're too weak."

"We are not!" Luffy said. "And Cade has already kicked your butt!"

Ace growled.

A spark of pride flashed inside Cade. She smirked when Ace looked at her.

"That was only a lucky hit." Ace grabbed his pipe from the wall.

"Oh? Really?" Cade gave him a challenging look. "Want to fight again?"

"Fine." Ace spun his pipe. "I'm sick of your superior attitude."

"If anyone has a superior attitude it's _you_." Cade threw down her sewing and followed him outside.

"Boss, shouldn't we stop this?" Dogra asked.

"I don't care what they do." Dadan waved her hand. "Let them kill each other. Less work for me."

Cade stepped outside and faced Ace.

"Kick his butt, Cade!" Luffy cheered.

"Oh." Magra pressed a hand to his cheek. "Should we step in?"

"Maybe it's best to let them get this out of their system," Dogra said.

Ace rushed towards her and swung his pipe.

Cade sidestepped him, spun, and nailed him on the back with a solid kick.

Growling, Ace jumped up from the ground and swung his pipe at her.

"Or maybe not," Dogra said.

Cade knocked the pipe away with a flick of her wrist then brought her other foot up and kicked Ace in the stomach.

The boy coughed, air releasing from his lungs.

"You are strong. I won't deny that." Cade tilted her head. "But I will always be stronger. I am a fishman after all."

"Shut up!" Ace lunged, tackling her to the ground. "I don't care if you're a nasty fishman or not!"

Fire flared in Cade's chest. His words brought back all the horrible name calling the pirates and other people shouted at her and her family. She slammed her head into Ace's, drawing blood from both their foreheads. "Shut up! Fishmen aren't nasty!" Pushing him off she pinned him to the ground and started punching him in the face. "Take it back!"

"Cade!" Luffy shouted.

She didn't hear him and kept punching, not caring about the cast on her wrist. Blood spurted from Ace's nose.

"That's enough!" Two large hands grabbed her arms and hauled her off Ace.

"Let me go! If he wants to call us nasty then I'll show him nasty!" Cade gnashed her teeth like she was going to bite Ace. Her feet shot out at the boy in hopes for contact. But Magra had pulled her too far away.

"You can't do that!" The shorter of the two men grabbed onto her legs. "Garp will have our heads if you kill Ace! Besides, if you keep punching him then you'll damage your wrist more!"

"Cade, stop it!" Luffy jumped in front of her to block her view of Ace. "Ace is our friend!"

"He's not!" Cade spat. "Stop being so naïve, Luffy! Ace hates us! He doesn't care about anyone else but himself!"

"Settle down, Cade," Magra said. "You don't want to kill him."

"I'll decide that!" Cade continued wriggle in the bandits hold. "Let me go, Magra! Dogra, if you don't release me right now I'll put worms in your bed then force you to eat them!"

"Just calm down," Dogra said.

"Ace," Magra looked at the boy, "you shouldn't have provoked her like that. We told you about her family."

"I couldn't care less about her or her family." Turning on his heels Ace marched into the jungle and disappeared.

"Jerk!" Cade shouted. "Come back here and finished what you started!"

"You both started this," Magra said as he pulled her back inside the house. "Settle down now. Let it go. It's not worthy it. You can't let people upset you like that."

Cade scoffed. "What ever."

"Cade." Luffy took her hand. "It's okay. Ace didn't mean it."

"He did too!" Cade snapped.

"Come on. Smile again." Luffy grinned. "You're much nicer when you're smiling."

Cade sighed, her anger slowing to a shimmer. It was becoming abundantly clear that Luffy had that effect on her. "Fine. I'm calm. Let go."

Magra and Dogra released her, but they didn't go far in case they had to grab her again.

The group headed back inside. Cade plopped down beside her pile of clothes and continued sewing. With each poke of her needle into the fabric she imagined she was jamming it into Ace's head.

Luffy laid on his stomach beside her and started fiddling with a shirt she was going to mend.

"Hey! The newspapers here!" A bandit came inside waving the newspaper. He handed it to Dadan and sat down with some of his friends.

Cade flickered a glance at the newspaper. She was about to go back to her mending when the front page of the newspaper caught her eyes. Dashing across the room she snatched it from Dadan's hands.

"Hey, you brat! I get the newspaper first!" Dadan said. "I'm always first! Well, when I want to read the paper that is."

Cade ignored the large woman. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. But there it was, right on the front page for the world to see. Her dad was now one of the seven warlords of the sea.

"What is it, Cade? What's wrong?" Luffy looked over her shoulder. "A fishman? Do you know him?"

"Y-yeah," Cade whispered. "That's Jinbe. That's my dad." The newspaper crinkled under her fingers. "I don't believe this! All this time! That's what he's been doing?! Becoming a dog of the navy?!"

"That's your dad?" Dadan asked.

Cade nodded. Her fingers tightened around the newspaper again.

"Stop that! You're going to rip it! I want to read it!" Dadan snapped.

Cade tossed the woman the newspaper, spun on her heels, and dashed outside.

"Cade!" Luffy called but she didn't stop. She needed time to herself. Time to think about what her _dad_ had been up to.

Cade dashed into the jungle, scarring some birds as she ran. She had no idea where she was going. She just ran and ran and ran. All the words her mother spoke to her about her dad came hammering back into her. "_He would always be there for you." He loves you very much." "He will come for us."_ Yet he didn't. Instead he became a warlord. He was now serving the government and navy.

Tears blurred her vision.

Did he even remember her at all? Did he even look for her, for her mom and brother? Or did he really not care about them?

With a frustrated growl Cade launched herself into the air. She kicked off one tree, punched a limb off another, and shattered part of another's trunk with a kick as she worked her way through the jungle.

…

Cade dropped to her knees. Her lungs drew in breath after breath. The raging inferno inside of her had simmered down to the size of a candle flame. Her muscles ached for a hot bath. She stood to go back to the bandit house when voices reached her ears.

Looking up she had found she moved farther through the jungle than she had intended. Lying out before her was a wasteland. Beyond that large walls concealing a city. "Goa Kingdom and Grey Terminal."

The mountain bandits have spoken of them before, but she never had any intention on coming to this place. Goa Kingdom was where this island's royal and nobility lived. Two types of people she wanted nothing to do with.

She hadn't realized they were so close to it. She turned to head back when familiar black hair caught her eyes. Ace was heading into the mountain of junk. Though she didn't care what Ace did, curiosity flooded her. She headed down the hill and into Grey Terminal. The wind shifted, bring a foul smell to her nose. With a gag she recoiled.

"Disgusting." Cade untied her cloak from her hips. Slipping it on she held the fabric to her nose and worked her way through the mess. Garbage of all kinds was lying around in piles. Flies buzzed rotted foods. Some people were climbing around on the piles looking for…salvageable parts she assumed. "Gross. Why would anyone _want_ to go digging through this garbage? Are they really that bad off?"

A few minutes later she found Ace. He was standing with three rough looking men.

"It's you," a man said. "You're the kid who keeps asking about the pirate king having a kid."

"What?" Cade asked herself. She slipped closer to the small group and ducked behind a pile of broken wood.

"Why would you ask something like that?" the second man asked.

"If the pirate king had a son then the son should be kill immediately!" the third one added before the men laughed. "Dirty rotten pirates!"

Ace clenched his fists.

A move that Cade couldn't help but notice. It didn't make sense. Why would Ace care if the pirate king had a kid or if people wanted that kid dead? Ace didn't know Gol D. Rogers.

Or did he? Her eyebrows knitted while her brain tried to remember what the pirate king looked like. It's been so long since she had last seen his bounty poster she couldn't remember. All she could recall was he had black hair, like Ace.

Ace shouted in anger, making Cade jumped. She didn't stay to listen anymore. She rushed away and headed back to the mountain bandits' home.

"Cade!" Luffy waved and smiled when she had returned.

"Hey, Luffy."

"You feeling better?"

"Yeah." Cade nodded.

"I'm glad. I was worried about you."

"Sorry about that." Cade ruffled his hair before entering the building.

"Where're you going?" Luffy followed.

"No where in particular." It was a lie. A small one, but a lie nonetheless. She felt guilty as she headed down the hall into the main room. A few of the bandits were still there. Dadan was lying on her side smoking a cigarette again. No one said a word. Cade head on down another hall and into a small storage room stacked with old wanted posters, unused crates, and newspapers.

"Why are you coming in here for?" Luffy pushed over a stack of papers. They scattered. Dust rose into the air making him cough.

Waving her hand Cade started going through some bounty posters. "I'm looking for Gol D. Rogers bounty poster."

"Why?" Luffy asked.

"No specific reason." Another lie. But this one she didn't feel like correcting. She must have gone through a hundred bounty posters before finding the right one.

"You found it." Luffy leaned over her shoulder. "Isn't he the coolest? Think I should grow a mustache like that?"  
"It wouldn't suit you," Cade mumbled.

"What?! I think it'd look cool!"

Cade tuned him out as he went on about mustaches and how _cool_ Gol D. Rogers was. She studied the poster. The pirate king's hair was indeed a lot like Ace's. Their facial structure was similar too. But could it be? Did the pirate king have a son? Ace would be close to the right age. Or she thought he was. She knew how old he was and when the pirate king had been put to death, but she didn't know when Ace's birthday was. So was Ace the pirate king's son? If so how did he come to live here? "Garp…"

"What about Grandpa?" Luffy looked at her.

"Nothing. Just talking to myself." Cade placed the bounty poster down and left the room. They went outside. Luffy started throwing out punches and kicks into the air while she sat down on the ground to try and figure this out. Ace asking questions about the pirate king's son. Garp bringing Ace to live with mountain bandits. Gol D. Rogers.

Garp had fought Rogers multiple times. Garp had brought Ace to this place. But why would someone of the navy pick up a random kid and drop him on a small island in the middle of nowhere? _If_ Ace were the pirate king's son why would any navy man save the kid? Pirate kids were blamed for their parents' crimes. And Garp had come close to capturing the pirate king many times. So if anyone would know about the pirate king having a son then it would be him. Wouldn't it? Would that be why Ace was asking about the pirate king having a kid? Or was Ace genuinely curious?

Cade scratched her head. She wasn't sure of anything, but it was possible that Ace was Rogers' son.

…

Cade opened her eyes and spun her hands in the air. "Aqua Twisters!"

Water gathered around her hands. A tornado formed over her palms. Lowering her hands out in front of her she moved the tornados away from her. The water wobbled then vanished.

Cade groaned, tilting her head back. "It vanished again. I still can't handle two twisters at once."

"At least you can form them now," Magra said. "You're doing fine. Remember when you couldn't even form one?"

"Thanks." Cade rubbed her neck. "I hope I can get enough attacks to actually help Luffy when we set sail. At this rate that won't happen."

"You're putting too much pressure on yourself. You haven't even decided when you are going to set sail." Magra pulled a shirt out of the laundry basket and clipped it to the clothesline. "By the way, where did Luffy go? I haven't seen him all morning."

"Chasing Ace. Again." Cade brought her hands to her and formed mini twisters in her palms. "He's still trying to get Ace to be his friend."

"That boy never gives up."

Cade smiled at the man's words as she continued practicing with her water manipulation. Suddenly, her peaceful practice got interrupted when she got a bad feeling about Luffy. Without a word she dropped what she was doing and ran into the jungle, calling Luffy's name. She had no idea how long she ran before she heard Luffy calling for her.

"Cade! Over here!" Luffy waved.

Relief washed into Cade's chest like a tidal wave when she saw him. He had several bruises and cuts but was otherwise okay. Rushing to him she threw her arms around him. "Luffy! What happened?! Why are you so beat up?!"

"We just got into a little bit of trouble. It's no big deal."

"No big deal!" Cade held him at arms length. "You look like you could have died! I should have been there to help you!"

"But you can't," Luffy said.

"What?! I'm your _lifeguard_! Of course I can!" Cade snapped.

"No, you can't," Ace said.

Cade snapped her eyes to him. "Excuse me?"

"You can't always be there for Luffy." Ace crossed his arms. "You have to let him fight his own battles when they come up."

"You stay out of this!" Cade released Luffy and walked over to Ace. "I bet this is all your fault, wasn't it?!"

"No, it was Luffy's," Ace said. "If he stopped following me around then Bluejam wouldn't have captured him." He glanced at Luffy. "Though I am surprised that he didn't tell Bluejam about our treasure."

"Treasure? You had better start explaining exactly what happened." Cade started to lift her fist when a blonde haired boy stepped in front of her.

"Hold on." The boy held up his hands. "There's no need to fight. Ace is right."

"Who the heck are you?" Cade eyed the boy. He wore a blue coat with a tall blue hair. He too, along with Ace and Luffy, was covered in bruises and cuts.

"I'm Sabo." He smiled. "You must be Cade."

"How do you know that?"  
"Ace told me about you."

Cade's eyes shot to Ace. She would have guessed he never mentioned her before.

Ace avoided her gaze and dug his pinky into his ear.

"You two fight a lot," Sabo said.

"That's not important right now. Tell me what happened," Cade said.

"Fine," Sabo said before telling her everything about how they got into a fight with a pirate. "Ace and I have been saving up treasure so we can leave this island. We _acquired_ some treasure from Bluejam. He wasn't happy about."

"You think?" Cade crossed her arms.

"Well, Bluejam grabbed Luffy and tried to get him to tell him where we hide the treasure," Sabo continued. "Luffy remained quiet. That's why he's so beat up. But he's fine. Ace and I saved him."

Cade rubbed her hand over her face. "I should have known Luffy would get mixed up with a pirate. Again."

"Again? What does that mean?" Luffy tilted his head.

"Never mind." Cade waved him off. "So what now?"

"Sabo is going to live with us," Luffy said.

Cade's eyebrows rose.

"It's true. I don't have a home to go to." Sabo smiled.

"Dadan's not going to be happy about this," Cade said. "She's still not happy with us living there."

"The old bag will get use to it," Ace said heading back home.

"Oh, yeah!" Luffy took Cade's hand and led her after Ace. "Ace and me are friends now."

"Excuse me?!" Cade looked back and forward between Luffy and Ace. "Friends?! Since when?!"

"So you have to be nice to him now," Luffy said.

"You can't be serious."

Ace tossed her a smirk over his shoulder.

Cade glared at him.

Sabo laughed. "You two really don't get along."

Cade grumbled but said nothing.

…

"What the heck is the meaning of this?!" Dadan shrieked when they got back. She held her hand out towards Sabo. "Ace! Luffy! Cade! Who is that kid?! Why is there another one of you here?!"

"Yo! You're Dadan, right? I'm Sabo!" Sabo smacked Dadan's hand.

"Sabo?! I know that name! I've heard you're quite the troublemaker!" Dadan said.

"Oh really…well, I've heard that you're an old bag." Sabo smiled.

"Don't bother collecting information you don't need!" Dadan said.

Cade crossed her eyes and leaned against the wall while Dadan argued with Sabo. "Well, at least he'll fit in here."

"Sabo's great, isn't he?" Luffy joined her.

"That remains to be seen." Cade shifted.

"Come on, Cade," Luffy said. "You can trust him."

"As I said, that remains to be seen," Cade said.

"Whatever!" Dadan shouted. "Just stay out of my way or die!"

"Hey! Let's show Sabo where our bedroom is!" Luffy said.

"Fine. He needs to know anyway." Cade pushed off the wall and headed for their room.

"Whoa! You sleep in here too?" Sabo asked looking at the three beds on the floor.

"Yes." Cade narrowed her eyebrows. "Got a problem with that?"  
"No." Sabo shook his head. "Just asking."

"Cade and me sleep together all the time," Luffy said.

"I see. You two are really close, huh?" Sabo said.

"We are!" Luffy nodded. "She's my sister!"

…

Sitting on a fallen tree, Cade watched as Luffy wound up his arm and attempted to throw a punch at Ace.

"Gum Gum Pistol!"

Instead of his fist flying outward, Luffy's fist hit the ground in front of him then bounced back into his face.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ace planted his feet on Luffy face.

"And Ace wins again." Sabo updated their fighting board.

The other day the boys had decided to have battle matches everyday, and keep score, so they could gage how much they grow.

"It's our turn, Cade," Sabo said.

"Fine." Cade slid off her seat and walked towards the blonde boy.

Sabo abandoned the chalkboard and met her as Luffy and Ace left their small battlefield. He spun his pipe. The pipe was identical to Ace's. "I won't go easy on you."

"I don't care." Cade shrugged. Lifting her fists she stood ready to fight.

"All right." Sabo rushed forward and jutted out his pipe.

Cade dodged the pipe multiple times before striking out with her foot. Sabo blocked her with his pipe. She kicked with her other foot, clipping Sabo on his shoulder.

"Not bad." Sabo righted himself then lunged forward.

Cade waited for him. When he got close enough she side stepped him and threw a punch. Sabo leaned back in time to avoid getting hit.

"You're not punching hard enough!"

"Huh?" The two kids paused at the unexpected voice. Suddenly, a punch hit the ground. A burst of air knocked all of them off their feet as the ground cracked.

Cade collided with a tree then hit the ground. Shaking off the sudden attack she looked up to see Garp towering over them. "Garp? What are you doing here?"

"Huh?" Garp looked at her. "Who are you talking to?"

"You, you old man!" Cade snapped.

"Have some respect, girl!" Garp pulled her up by the front of her shirt. "I am your grandfather after all! You will address me as such!"

"All right already! Grandpa! Now put me down!" Cade gripped the man's fists but couldn't pry his hands off her.

"Now what's going on here? Are you and Ace still fighting. Siblings shouldn't fight like this." Garp looked around.

"We're not siblings!" Ace and Cade said.

"And we weren't even fighting!" Cade added.

"Who are you?" Garp looked at Sabo.

"This is Sabo," Luffy said. "He's staying with us now."

"Hello." Sabo waved. "I'm from Grey Terminal. Ace, Luffy, and Cade invited me to stay with them."

"Hey! I did nothing of the sort!" Cade said.

"Is that so? Well, I guess I'll have to teach you how to fight as well." Garp released Cade.

Cade dropped to her feet and jumped back a few feet from Garp. Before she could do anything Garp disappeared. "Huh?"  
"Too slow!" Garp reappeared in front of Luffy. His fist slammed into the boy's face. Luffy went flying backwards.

"Hey!" Ace rushed forward with Sabo close behind him.

Then Garp charged her.

"Current Deflect!" Cade gathered water between her palms and spun her a current.

"You think that can stop me?!" Garp threw a punch at her.

Cade gritted her teeth as his fist flew towards her. Her eyes widened when his fist sliced through her currents. Pain shot through her cheek as his knuckles collided with her face.

…

Cade breathed in dirt and grass as she groaned. A beam of sunlight broke through the leaves and warmed her skin to the point of drying out. She would have moved if she could have. All of her muscles screamed at her. Her black and blue cheek stung each time she touched it. The size and coloring hadn't gone away at all, though the swelling had gone down a little bit. The boys, also lying on the ground with her, groaned at their own aches and pains from their sparring session with Garp.

That was two days ago. Somehow they managed to make their way back to the house. But they had barely been able to move since then. Not that they wanted to move.

Cade was so glad the old man didn't stop by often. If he did then she was sure she would die from his training. Garp had even told her an Ace to start getting alone or they'd both suffer from _special training _with him. The very thought of it sent shivers up and down her spine. She didn't want to even try to think about what he mean by that. Just from this normal sparring session she wanted to be Ace's best friend if they didn't have to go through it again. Unfortunately, Garp had said he'd be back again for another session when they had gotten stronger.

"Cade! Luffy!" Makino called out.

Cade turned her head so she could see the woman walking towards them. "Hey, Makino."

"What's wrong with you?" Makino asked.

"Garp," Cade said. "He was here a couple days ago and trained us."

"My hair hurts," Sabo said. "How is it possible that my hair can hurt?"

"Grandpa's just too strong," Luffy said.

"That rotten old man," Ace grumbled. "I'm going to get him for this one day."

"Oh, you must have had a hard time with him," Makino said.

"That's an understatement." Wincing, Cade pushed herself into a sitting position. "So what are you doing here?"  
"Just thought I'd come say hi." Makino dug into a basket she was carrying and pulled out a shirt. "And I brought you four some new clothes. Garp said yours gotten torn."

"That jerk!" Ace growled. "He's the one who tore our clothes!"

"I also brought some clothing patterns that might help you learn how to sew." Makino put the shirt up.

"Great. I'll be able to sew again in ten years." Cade touched her jawline, right below the bruise. "I never thought I'd ever be this sore."

"You poor thing. How about I cook something for you to eat?" Makino said.

"Yes! I want meat!" Luffy sat up.

"Food sounds great," Sabo said.

Ace nodded.

A little while later Makino poured them some of the stew she made into bowls and handed them out to the kids. "Here you go. Eat up! When you're done we can look through the clothes I brought."

"Thanks, Makino." Cade took the bowl from her. She scooped some stew up and sipped it. The spices danced on her tongue before sliding down her throat. "Mmm. So good."

"Definitely better than anything these stupid bandits make," Luffy said scarfing down his stew."

"Hey! You idiot! If you don't like my food then get your own!" Dadan screamed from inside the house.

"I guess she can hear someone talking about her no matter how far off she is," Sabo said.

"So how are you two doing?" Makino said.

"We're fine. There's been some bumps along the way, but over all it's not bad," Cade said. "Though I do miss having access to the ocean."

"You know you can come back to the village whenever you wish," Makino said.

"I think we will come see you all someday," Cade said. "For now we're getting stronger here. So we'll stay."

"Yes! We're getting strong!" Luffy flexed his arm but no muscle appeared.

"That would be convincing if you had some muscle on your bones," Ace said with his mouth full of food.

"What?! I do have muscle!" Luffy said.

"Do not."

"I do too!

"Not!"

"Too!"

"They argue a lot," Cade said. "So expect it."

"And expect Cade and Ace to fight each other. They're rivals. Bitter ones," Sabo added.

"What?! I'm not bitter! Ace is just a jerk!" Cade hissed at the blonde.

"Hey! I am not a jerk!" Ace said.

"You are too!"

"I am not!"

"Too!"

"Not!"

Makino laughed at the kids arguing.

"See?" Sabo jerked his thumb at the two arguing. "But, you know, I think they secretly like each other."

"We do not!" Ace and Cade screamed in Sabo's ear then pointed at each other. "I will never like him/her!" Realizing they were saying the same thing, they faced each other. "Stop saying what I'm saying!"

"All right." Makino clapped her hands to get their attention. "Finish eating."

Ace and Cade continued to send glares at each other as they finished their meal. Once done Makino had them stand up. One by one she started dressing them in new clothes.

Cade sat back with a chuckle when Makino started dressing Ace. The boy stood quietly, but held his typical snarl on his face. "Ace, you make a very cute dress up doll. You should become a model instead of a pirate."

"Shut up!" Ace snapped. "Or I'll shut you up!"

"Sure, sure." Cade waved her hand.

"How's your wrist, Cade?" Makino asked adjusting Ace's shirt over his torso.

"Healing just fine." Cade lifted her arm, wondering how much longer she would have to wear it. She wanted it off so she could fight and use her water manipulate better. For now she had to be patient as it continued to heal.


	7. Sister

Sister

Feeling someone's eyes on her, Cade lifted up from her sewing and scanned the room. Her eyes landed on Sabo. The boy smiled at her. She rolled her eyes and turned back to her sewing. For weeks now the young blonde boy was doing his best to try and befriend her. Something she didn't want anything to do with. But her stubbornness and refusal to associate with him much didn't deter the boy.

A cool breeze floated through the window. Rain fell down on the leaves and roof mixing with Luffy's snoring as he slept with his head on Cade's lap. It had been raining all day. Most of the time it poured so they were unable to go outside and train. So the kids and the bandits had spent the day inside, quietly sitting or working on indoor projects. It gave Cade a chance to put more effort into her sewing. The patterns that Makino had brought her really helped her. She was almost finished with a shirt she was making for Luffy.

"There." Cade put in the last stitch. Tying off the thread she held the shirt up to check it out.

"Not bad," Magra said.

Cade hummed, unsure if the shirt was good or not. "Luffy, wake up. I need you to try this shirt on."

"Meat," Luffy mumbled.

"Luffy." Cade shook him. "Wake up and put this shirt on."

"Huh?" Luffy opened his eyes. "You got me food?"

"No, I don't. Now get up and try this shirt on." Cade dropped the shirt on his face.

"Hey!" Luffy jerked the shirt off and sat up. "You made me a shirt?"  
"Yes. Or I tried too. I'm not sure how well it'll fit. So I need you to try it on." Cade crossed her arms.

Luffy took off his shirt then slipped the new one on.

Cade huffed in annoyance. The right sleeve was an inch longer than the left one. The neckline hung too low. And the waistline was tighter than the chest. "I messed up."

"Looks like something I've pulled out of the trash heap," Ace said with a smirk.

"Shut up!" Cade chucked a spool of thread at him. It pinged off his head and hit the floor.

"You want to fight?!" Ace growled.

"No!" Magra and Dogra jumped between the two. "No fighting!"

"I think it's nice," Sabo said.

"Whatever." Cade tugged on the shirttail. "I'll just have to try again."

"Yes! You can do it, Cade! I know you can!" Luffy nodded. "You're going to be the best clothes maker in the whole world!"

"That's stretching it too far, Luffy," Cade said.

"You'll do fine!" Luffy cheered. "I want you to make all my clothes!"

"I'm not your maid!" Cade snapped. She then sighed and scratched her head. "Well, at least sewing will give me something to do while sailing the seas."

"You believe you're going to be bored?" Magra asked. "While sailing with Luffy?"  
"Well, not even Luffy can get into trouble _all_ of the time." Cade said while putting away her sewing supplies.

"Maybe." Magra wasn't convinced as he stared at the young boy.

"We'll have plenty of down time," Cade said.

"I hope you're right." Magra sighed.

"Well, I think I'm going to go for a walk now, Luffy." Cade stood up. She turned to invite Luffy along but he had already fallen back asleep. With a shrugged she headed for the door.

"You're going for a walk in the rain?" Sabo looked towards the window. It was still raining but it had slowed down a lot. "You sure about that?"  
"No, not at all." Cade deadpanned. "It's totally dry in the ocean. And I'm not a fishman. I'm a scorpion."

"Sorry." Sabo ducked his head.

Cade rolled her eyes and left the house. The rain instantly soaked into her dry skin. Though it wasn't ocean water it still felt great. It didn't take long before her thick curls were plastered against her skin. Stepping through the tree line she took a deep breath of the rain scented air. It refreshed her. She stretched out before taking off in a run. Picking up speed she jumped from rocks to tree roots to small cliffs as she worked her way through the jungle.

Suddenly, pain erupted in her nose. Her body flew backwards until she collided with a tree. Ears ringing she heard laughter and looked up to see six guys surrounding her. Their clothing was familiar to her but she couldn't place where she had seen them before.

"Finally, we found one of you," one of them said.

"What do you want?" Cade pushed herself to her feet.

"Spicy," a second one said.

"You don't recognize us, huh?" the first one said. "The name's Jon."

"Why would I?" Cade carefully studied them.

"We're mountain bandits. Or we were until you and that little black haired brat killed our boss," Jon said.

"What are you talking about? I haven't killed anyone," Cade said.

"So where's your friend?" Jon looked around. "Now that you don't have those Red Hair Pirates here to save you, we'll have our revenge."

"Oh, that's right. You're those bandits that caused trouble with Luffy." Cade narrowed her eyebrows. "If you want revenge then you're looking for the wrong people." She waved her hand. "The Red Hair pirates took you all down. And the sea king ate your boss. Go complain to them."

"None of that would have happened if you children didn't get in our way." Jon cracked his knuckles as his friends surrounded her.

Cade gritted her teeth. "_You_ people were the ones causing trouble in the first place. If you're such sore losers then don't pick fights with people."

"You're going to pay for that brat!" Jon said as he and his friends rushed her.

Cade jumped to her right. The sudden movement caused her vision to blur and swim. Her feet stumbled on the ground just before a fist collided with her cheek. A foot nailed her on the ribs. Another foot slammed into her nose and was followed by several punches and kicks. Her body collapsed to the ground. Sharp pain shot through her ribs with each breath. Something moved against her right hip, but the pain was too much. She couldn't look to see what it was.

The bandits laughed. "So pathetic."

"Yeah. She's nothing without her pirate friends to help her."

"This was too easy."

Cade pushed herself up on trembling elbows with a growl. Blood blurred her swaying vision. How they possible say such things when they just ganged up on a child? A gasped ripped from her when she noticed Jon had her mother's necklace. "H-hey! That's mine! Give it back!"

"You're so pathetic." The man swung her necklace on his finger. "I'll be taking this. Consider it small compensation for what you and your friend did to our boss and the rest of our friends."

Still laughing, the bandits walked away from her.

Cade cursed. "Idiots! We didn't do anything to you! Come back here! You can't steal my mother's locket!" Forcing herself to her feet she stumbled after the bandits. "Give it back!"

"Cade!" Leaves rustled before Sabo busted through a bush. "There you a-What happened to you?! You're bleeding!"

Cade's legs wobbled and gave out on her. She crashed to the ground. Mud splashed upon her.

"Cade!" Sabo knelt beside her and placed his hand on her back.

"Don't touch me!" Cade brushed his arm off her.

"You're hurt. Hold still and let me have a look," Sabo said.

"I don't need your help!" Cade pushed to her feet and started walking. She brushed the blood from her nose and face. Looking down she found the bandits footprints and started following. The rain had stopped at some point so she should have any trouble following them, as long as the rain didn't start up again.

Minutes passed. Cade continued forward with Sabo following behind. "Stop following me!"

"Not going to happen," Sabo said. "I'm going to help you or I'm going to go tell Luffy and Ace what happened. What happened anyway? It's obvious those guys were ganging up on you, but why are you following them?"

"It's none of your business!"

"Come on. You can't fight them on your own. So tell me. Did they take something from you?" Sabo ran in front of her. He held out his hands to keep her from going farther. "Tell me now what's going on? Why are you going after those guys after they beat you up?"

"How many times do I have to tell you?! It's none of your business! It's my necklace they stole!"

"So they did take something from you."

Cade gritted her teeth.

"Fine." Sabo turned from her. "Let's go. I'll help you get it back."

"I don't want you to do that! Just go back!" Cade said.

"Not going to happen." Sabo smirked at her from over her shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere. So you might as well tell me."

Grumbling, Cade walked on.

"You know, I'm not going to stop asking until you tell me who those guys are."

Cade sighed. She believed him. Sabo could be just as stubborn as Luffy and Ace. "Fine. They're mountain bandits that cause trouble back in the village. Their boss tried to pick a fight with Shanks but Shanks brushed it off, which angered Luffy. Luffy thought Shanks should have fought. The next day Luffy tried to fight the bandits on his own. Shanks and his crew showed up in time, but the head bandit managed to escape with a smoke bomb. He took Luffy out to sea and was going to drown him since Luffy ate a devil fruit. But the man got eaten by a sea king instead. I had followed. Both Luffy and myself almost got eaten too. Luckily, Shanks arrived and saved us. Though he lost his left arm in the process."

"I see. So those guys were from that bandit crew and they were seeking revenge on you," Sabo said.

"That's what they said. They took the locket that belonged to my mom." Cade clenched her fists.

"Okay. I get it. I'll help you get it back," Sabo said.

"I don't need your help."

"Whether you think you need it or not you've still got it."

Cade tossed Sabo a sideways glance. He smiled at her. She sighed and said, "Whatever."

"So, other than sentimental value, does your necklace have any other value?" Sabo asked.

"No. The shell is ordinary. You can find it just about anywhere," Cade replied. "They only took it because they could. The jerks."

Sabo nodded.

Thirty minutes later, the footprints led the two kids to a worn down shack. Vines, bushes, and weeds were choking the yard so it was obvious whoever own this place had abandoned it some time ago.

"Is that where they're hiding?" Sabo asked.

"No, not at all. The footprints didn't lead to this place at all." Cade rolled her eyes.

Sabo frowned.

Keeping low and hidden by the brush Cade and Sabo worked their way towards the shack. They ducked under a broken window then carefully peaked inside. The bandits were sitting around the living room, laughing about what they had done.

"That was too easy."

"Of course it was. She was nothing more than a child."

"Still, it was fun."

Cade gritted her teeth to keep from growling.

"Let's get away from here so we can talk about what we're going to do," Sabo said before heading away from the shack.

Cade didn't want to. She wanted to bust inside and take back her necklace. But she knew that wasn't possible. She needed a plan to ensure she got it back. So she followed Sabo back to the trees so the bandits couldn't hear them discussing what to do.

"So any ideas on how to do this?" Sabo asked.

"Bust in and kick their butts." Cade crossed her arm.

"You know that won't work." Sabo closed his eyes and thought for a moment then said, "I know! You can go in first. Attack them as hard as you can. Once they're distracted I'll rush in and get your necklace. Then we'll run like the wind."

Cade blinked when he didn't continue. "That's it? Bust in, attack, grab, and run?"

"That's it." Sabo smiled. "It'll work. Trust me. When we get far enough ahead of the bandits we'll take to the trees. They won't look up when chasing us. So we'll be safe until we can return home."

Cade sighed. "Fine. Let's just do this and get out of here."

"Right!" Sabo nodded.

Cade turned from him. She looked at her damaged arm. One handed water attacks should be able to handle this well enough, at least she hoped it did.

"Ready when you are," Sabo said.

Cade nodded then rushed forward. Once close enough she kicked in the door.

"What the heck?" The men stopped laughing and looked at her.

"Hey! It's that fish girl again!"

"Get her!"

"That's fishman!" Cade raked her fingers through the air. Gathering the moisture in the air she created a wave and threw it at the bandits. From the corner of her eye she saw Sabo rush into the room. He grabbed the necklace away from the bandit, nodded at her, and ran for the door. She quickly followed.

"After them!"

The two kids ran into the forest. Once they ran across some rocks they leapt into the trees. The bandits gathered beneath them. Cade's heart raced. _Please, don't look up. Keep going._

"This way!" One of the bandits pointing to his left and they took off again.

Cade exhaled. "Good. We'll stay here for a few minutes to make sure they're long gone before heading back."

"That was fun. Oh, here's your necklace." Sabo held the chain out to her.

"Uh, thanks." Cade took it and slipped it back into her pouch.

"I want to be your friend, Cade," Sabo said out of the blue.

"Huh?" Cade cocked an eyebrow.

"We work well together." Sabo held out his hand. "So why not?"

"I don't trust humans."

"You trust Luffy, don't you?

Cade stared at his extended limb then looked back at him. "Luffy's different."

"You can trust me. I helped get your necklace back."

Cade hated to admit that he had a point. He didn't have to help her yet he did without question. She lifted her hand and took his. "I'll try to become more open towards you."

"That's all I ask." Sabo gave her a firm shake. "Shall we get going? I don't think they're coming back any time soon."

Cade nodded and jumped from the branch. Landing pain shot through her body.

"Hop on." Sabo knelt in front of her. "You're still injured so I'll carry you back."

"No, I don't think-"

"Consider it a trust exercise." Sabo smiled.

"Fine." Cade stepped forward and placed her hands on Sabo's shoulders.

Sabo hooked his arms under her knees and lifted her up. Without another word the two headed home.

…

Cade gritted her teeth. She rolled onto her side then back to her back as her nightmare took hold of her.

_"Mama!" Cade ran towards her mother. But no matter how hard she ran her mother remained the same distance ahead of her. "Come back! Where are you going?! Please! Don't leave me! Mama!"_

_A flash blinded her. When the light cleared she noticed a young fishman boy, her brother. Her heart jumped into her throat. A whip snapped out, breaking Kale's skin open. "Stop it! Leave him alone!"_

_Shadowed figures stood around the young fishman. They continued to hit him with whips. Some even kicked him._

_"Stop hurting him!" Cade threw a punch but her attempt a fruitless. Her fist passed through the shadows._

"Cade? Cade, wake up. Come on. You're having a bad dream." Luffy shook Cade.

Cade sat up with a gasp.

"Cade?"

Cade lifted her eyes to Luffy's worried ones. Behind him Sabo held a look of concern, too. She placed a hand on her face. "A dream…nothing but a nightmare."

"Was it really that bad?" Luffy asked.

Cade nodded. "I dreamed about my mom and brother. Mama kept walking away from me then was shot in the chest. And Kale was being treated badly as a slave."

"It's okay." Luffy patted her head. "It was just a bad dream."

"Yeah." Cade nodded. "I'm fine."

"If it wasn't that bad then go back to sleep." Ace rolled his back towards them and pulled his blanket up over his shoulders.

"Don't be like that, Ace," Sabo said. "Surely you've had nightmares before."

"Even if I had I'm not a baby about them."

Sabo shook his head. "Ignore him, Cade."


	8. Nobles

Nobles

"I can't believe we actually did this." Cade wiped the sweat from her forehead before looking at the boys. Ace was sawing some logs while Luffy and Sabo were nailing boards together. "How angry do you think Dadan is?"

"Who cares?" Ace said.

"We left a note." Sabo paused mid-swing to look at her.

"Yeah, but we're suppose to be under Dadan's care." Cade looked into the jungle. They were about a mile from the bandits' home.

"Don't tell me a big bad fishman girl like yourself is scared of those bandits," Ace taunted.

"Of course not." Cade swung her ax, splitting the wood. "It's Garp I'm worried about."

The boys shivered. "Oh yeah. Him."

"There's a high possibility he won't like what we did," Cade said.

"Don't worry about it, Cade." Sabo went back to hammering. "We're getting stronger each day. We'll be able to beat Garp in no time at all."

Cade snorted. "Like it'll be that easy."

The four continued with their work of constructing a tree house for them to live in. They had found the perfect tree and started working on it as soon as they gathered enough lumber.

During a couple breaks, Cade sewed them a flag. It was now being raised. She watched as Ace raised their flag. Reaching the top of the flagpole, the wind caught the black fabric. She had stitched the first letter of each of their names into the flag: ASLC.

They now had an official _house_ of their own.

"It's done!" Luffy cheered. "Let's go celebrate in town!"

"Sounds good to me," Sabo said as Ace nodded.

"I'm staying here," Cade said.

"Aw, come on, Cade." Luffy pouted. "Come into town with us. You never come."

"No way." Cade shook her head. "I don't want to go anywhere near nobles or royals. I hate them. They're the worst kind of humans." From the corner of her eye she saw Sabo flinch. "Something wrong, Sabo?"

"Er, no." Sabo shook his head. "It's nothing. Luffy, stop pestering her. If she doesn't want to go then she doesn't have to."

"But she can't keep hiding from people." Luffy pooched out his cheeks.

"I'm not _hiding_. I'm just not ready to be seen by those types of people." Cade rubbed her neck.

"Let's just go," Ace said. His back was turned to them.

"Fine. We'll bring you something back," Luffy said.

"If Luffy doesn't eat it all first," Sabo said. He waved to Cade and ran off. "We'll meet up with you in a couple hours outside of the trash heap!"

"Okay." Cade waved them off. She watched as the three boys disappeared into the jungle. They all had gotten tired of eating what they did from the jungle. Many times the boys had schemed to sneak into a restaurant in Goa Kingdom. Today they were going to do it she figured. Though Cade had no idea how that would happen. But knowing the boys they would find a way to get in.

Climbing back into their tree house, Cade settled in to work on her sewing. She was getting better. Last week she had finished a shirt for Luffy. And it actually fit him, with a little room for him to grow into it. She was pleased with it.

After the hours had past Cade headed off into the jungle to meet up with the boys. She was coming upon their meeting place when she heard Sabo say, "What?! I'm not hiding anything!"

"That's odd. They're already back in the jungle?" Cade followed their voices.

"Oh really?" Luffy said.

Cade stepped around a tree to find Luffy and Ace standing in front of Sabo. "What's going on?"

"Sabo isn't hiding anything from us." Luffy smiled.

"What?"

"Don't be stupid, Luffy! Of course he is! Let's hear it, Sabo!" Ace said. "We shouldn't have to keep any secrets from each other, now should we? Spill it." He grabbed Sabo's throat. "Just tell us already, you idiot! I'll kick you in your face!"

"All right! All right! I'll talk!" Sabo squeaked. Ace released him. Sabo took a breath before words poured from his mouth.

"You're the son of a noble?" Cade shifted on her feet when Sabo told them who he really was. He also told her that his dad saw him, Luffy, and Ace in the city. She scanned the jungle, wondering if the noble would send someone after Sabo.

"Who's a noble's son?!" Luffy asked.

"I am!" Sabo snapped.

"So?" Luffy and Ace picked their noses without a care.

"You're the ones who wanted to know!" Sabo sat down and leaned against a tree. "The truth is both of my real parents are still alive. I'm not an orphan at all. And I wasn't born in the Grey Terminal either. The man who was trying to stop me just now was my father. I'm sorry I had to lie to you."

"Well, if you're sorry, then that's fine. I forgive you." Luffy crossed his arms with a firm nod.

Ace walked a few feet away. "I'm actually pretty shocked by this. If you were born into a noble household…how did you end up in the Grey Terminal?"

"My parents were overbearing. They wanted me to marry royalty. I'd spend hours drawing a picture for my dad only to have him rip it up and tell me I should be studying. All they cared about was having an heir to protect the family status and fortune. If I couldn't marry into a royal family, then I was worthless to them. They made me work day in and day out to improve my chances. My parents were always fighting because I wasn't good enough for them. There was never any place for me in that house. I was always alone even though I had parents. The nobles always scorned and despised the Grey Terminal. But compared to that horrible elite district, where I didn't even have room to breath…where my whole life was planned out for me…I'd take the Grey Terminal any day."

"So that's the deal, huh?" Ace said.

"Ace…Luffy…Cade…We have to make it out to sea someday!" Sabo said. "We'll leave this country behind and gain our freedom! I want to see the world in all its glory and write a book about all the things I find! If it's sailing I'm studying for, then I don't care how hard I have to work! We've got to get stronger, and become real pirates!"

Ace chuckled. He stood at the edge of the cliff and planted his pipe on the ground. "You don't have to tell me that! I'm going to become a pirate, beat every last person who stands in my way and earn myself the kind of glory that dreams are made of! Only then will my life have been worth living!" He looked back at them. "I don't care if the whole world refuses to accept me. They can hate me all they like. I'll become a great pirate and prove I'm better than them all! I won't run from anybody! I'll never lose! I don't care if they end up terrified of me! I'm just gonna make sure the whole word knows my name!"

"All right then. I'm gonna be king of the pirates!" Luffy shouted.

"Huh?" Ace and Sabo stared at Luffy before Sabo started laughing.

"Of all the things…you could come up out with…" Ace said.

"Man, you're one crazy guy. You're one to keep an eye on, that's for sure!" Sabo said then turned serious. "But isn't it going to be a problem if we all want to be captain?"

"Yeah, that could be an issue. I always thought you were going to be my navigator, Sabo," Ace said.

"What?! You should join my ship!" Luffy said.

"Well, we can decide the details when the time comes." Ace walked away from them.

"Who knows, maybe we'll all end up forming our own separate crews!" Sabo said.

Cade took a few slow steps away from the boys before disappearing into the jungle. She paused a few minutes later. Her mind continued to try and process what Sabo had said. He was a noble? That would explain why he flinched when she spoke of nobles before.

"Cade?"

Cade tensed. Sabo had followed her.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you…it's just…I couldn't. I hope this doesn't change anything between us. I know you hate people who enslave others," Sabo said. "I promise I will never own a slave."

Cade studied him for several tense moments. During that time Sabo's eyes dropped to the ground. He was sorry for keeping it a secret. "It's fine. Nothing has changed. Not really. I am a bit shocked that you're a noble…but you seem to be better than other nobles."

"You're really not mad?"

"Not really. I mean, I am a little bit. But I can tell you're sincere. And you've never done a thing that suggested I couldn't trust you." A strange overwhelming feeling washed over her. Something propelled her to move towards him.

"Thanks. I'm glad. For a moment there I-" Sabo smiled.

Cade pressed her lips to his.

"What?!" Sabo pulled away.

"Oh. Sorry about that." Cade blink. "I don't know why I did that. Come to think of it…I've kissed Luffy like that before."

"Really?"  
"Yeah." Cade nodded. "I wonder why I did that."

"Anyway, we should get back to the others." Sabo headed back.

Cade followed him.

"About time you two got back," Ace said before walking away from them.

"Says that then walks off." Cade rolled her eyes.

A moment later Ace walked back over to them with cups and a bottle in his hands.

"Ah! You stole some of Dadan's booze!" Luffy said.

Cade wondered when Ace stole the bottle. And where he had it hidden out here.

"Did you know, guys?" Ace popped the top and poured the saki in the cups. "If you exchange drinks, then you can become brothers."

"Brothers?!" Luffy asked.

"When we become pirates, we may not be able to end up on the same crew. But the bond of brotherhood we share will never die!" Ace picked up a cup. "No mater where we are, or what we do this is one bond we can never break. Starting today, we are brothers!"

"And sister!" Luffy said.

"I only brought her a cup for you, Luffy," Ace said. "If you want to calm Cade as a sister then go right ahead. I'm not going to."

"How charming of you." Cade rolled her eyes. "I don't want a jerk like you for a brother anyway."

"Good!" Ace glared.

Cade glared back.

"Come on, Cade." Luffy handed her a cup.

Cade took it, wrinkling her nose at the smell of the saki. She never understood how anyone could drink such a foul tasting thing. Still when the boys lifted their cups, she lifted hers. They clanked together, sealing their siblinghood with the drink.

…

"Give Sabo back!" Luffy said. "Blue Jam!"

The man holding Sabo laughed.

Cade gritted her teeth, causing the pain in her bruised cheek to hurt even more. The day had started out so nicely. And now…everything had turned upside down. Sabo's dad had taken extreme measures to get him back. And that means was through pirates.

"Give him back? Try speaking sense, urchins!" Sabo's dad points his finger at them. "Sabo is my own flesh and blood. It's the duty of every child to live his life according to the wishes of the parents who brought him into the world. How dare you urchins convince my Sabo to run away from home. Filthy pieces of trash. Is it my fortune you're after?!"

"What did you say?!" Ace demanded which earned him a hard punch to the face.

"Useless pirates! Be more careful how you deal with those brats! You managed to get the blood of those filthy trash heap urchins on my cheek! How disgusting! I'll have to clean it thoroughly." Sabo's dad glared at them with contempt.

"Stop this already! They didn't convince me to run away from home! I ran away because I wanted to!" Sabo said.

"I'll hear no more from you! I'll leave the rest to you, pirates."

"But of course, sir. You have paid us well, after all. I'll take care of these urchins. They won't be bothering your dear little boy again." Blue Jam cracks his knuckles.

"Hold on a minute! Blue Jam! I give up! I'll do as you say!" Sabo said.

"You'll do what, Sabo?" Dad asked.

"Sabo! Stop!" Ace said.

"I'll do everything you tell me! I'll live my life however you want! Just please…don't harm then!" Sabo said. "I'm begging you. They mean more to me than anything. They're my brothers and sister."

"Sabo…" Cade clenched her fists. Hopelessness settled into her chest. There was nothing they could do. They were still too weak to fight adults. They had no choice but to watch as Sabo's dad carted him away.

"Sabo," Ace said. "Hey! Where are you going?! Get away from those guys! We'll be fine, you hear?! We're all going to become free men, aren't we?! Are you going to let it end here?! Sabo!"

Before they knew it, Blue Jam and his crew had pulled them into a run down shack.

"Why would he want to leave? Being born a noble isn't something you can achieve if you work hard enough. It means you were born under some kind of lucky star. I'd change places with that kid if I could. I would have loved to be born a noble," Blue Jam said sitting on a striped couch. "So…one of the legendary bratty trio was actually a noble all along, huh? To think he'd come all the way down from the elite district to make fun of the trash heap. I'm sure he looked down on all three of you on the inside, as well."

"Don't be stupid! Sabo isn't that kind of guy!" Ace said.

"Yeah! We're his brothers!" Luffy said.

"And his sister," Cade added.

"If you're planning on going after him, I'll have to kill you three here and now." Blue Jam held up a hand. "If you care about that brother of yours you'll leave him be from now on."

"But Sabo hates living in the elite district!" Luffy said.

"Just forget about him. It's for the best. That's what they call kindness, you know. You'll understand that when you grow up," Blue Jam said. "I still have a grudge to settle with you over the Polchemy incident. But I figure let bygones be bygones. You may be young, but you're strong and I like that. Now…I'm actually a little short on help right now. Could the three of you give me a hand with a little job?"

"What kind of job?" Cade asked.

"This is a map of the whole of Grey Terminal." Blue Jam laid out a map. "I want you to carry some boxes to the places marked with an x. That's all there is to it."

A few minutes later they picked up a crate each. The adults carried two at a time as they made their way through the trash heap.

"I don't want to carry on without Sabo," Luffy said while carrying two crates with a flag on top.

"Suck it up! I feel the same way, you know," Ace said. "But at the same time, I don't know what the best way is to make Sabo truly happy! So let's wait and see how things go! Sabo's strong. If he really wants to escape, then he'll be back and that's a fact!"

Cade hated feeling so helpless. This was the third time she had lost a brother. Sure she got Luffy back thanks to Shanks's help, but getting Sabo back didn't seem possible.

"Cade?" Luffy called to her. "You okay?"  
Cade nodded, unable to trust her voice. She knew if she spoke she would break down and cry. That wasn't needed right now. For now all she wanted to do was get these crates placed and go home.

Finally, after a few seemingly endless hours, the sun was starting to set. The three young pirates headed back to their home. They ate in silenced then sat around in more silence before finally going to bed.

"Do you think Sabo's all right?" Luffy asked.

"Shut up and get some sleep. We decided we're going to forget about him for the moment, all right?" Ace said. "This could be what's best for him after all."

Cade shifted closer to Luffy. They cuddled into each other and did their best to fall asleep.

…

"What?! Burn the trash heap to the ground?! Why would you want to do that?!" Ace said.

"Keep your voice down, you stupid kid. What if the people from the trash heap heard you?" Blue Jam asked.

"This is bad! We've got to tell the guys from the trash heap! These pirates are bad guys after all!" Luffy grabbed a pipe off the ground.

Cade lifted her fists, swirling water around them.

"I thought I told you to keep quiet." Blue Jam nodded to his men. They grabbed them. "The boxes you've been laying around the trash heap these past couple of days are filled with oil and explosives. They'll cause a fire so large that no human stands a chance of escape. I guess this was a bit much even for little terrors like yourselves, eh? But now that you know about the plan we can't afford to let you walk away that easily. Before we set the place alight there's something I have got to ask the three of you. You wouldn't happen to have a stash of treasure hidden away somewhere around here, would you?"

"Even if we did we wouldn't tell you!" Ace snapped.

"Yeah! So go away!" Luffy said.

"Like they're going to listen to you two." Cade rolled her eyes.

Blue Jam chuckled and snapped his fingers. His crew grabbed the three kids.

"Let go!" Cade struggled but was unable to get free. Before she knew it she, Luffy, and Ace were tied to a pole.

Blue Jam and his crew walked off and a few minutes later smoke rose into the sky.

"Crap," Cade said struggling against the ropes that bound them. "We have to get out of here."

The fire rushed towards them. Cade could feel her body drying out. If they didn't get free…

"All right! I've cut the rope!" Ace said and they pushed away the ropes.

"Hot! So hot! Where are we meant to run?!" Luffy asked.

"Ugh! How did we get ourselves mixed up in this mess?!" Ace asked. "If you're going to keep crying about everything, I'll leave you behind!"

"O-okay. It's n-not hot at all." Luffy said. "Ah! So hot! I mean it's not hot at all! So hot I mean it's not hot at all! It's like a sea of flames out there! It hurts to breathe. I mean it doesn't hurt at all."

Cade's lungs ached as she breathed in the smoke.

"Well, get through this somehow! You've got me, remember!" Ace said. "Run for it, Luffy! Cade! Cade?"

Cade dropped to her knees.

"Cade, what's wrong?" Luffy knelt before her.

Fire flares up around them.

"Can't…too much…" Luffy and Ace blurred before her eyes as she felt her body fall forward and hit the ground.


	9. Loss & Healing

Loss & Healing

Muffled voices weaved themselves in and out of Cade's ears. Not a single word made sense to her, but the voices were vaguely familiar. She breathed in. Instantly she regretted it. Her lungs burned. It felt as if she has swallowed the sun and it went down the wrong pipe. In fact her whole body felt as if it were on fire before a cool liquid engulfed her.

She opened her eyes. A fuzzy blue surrounded her. Shadows danced overhead. She tried to lift her arms, but they wouldn't obey her. Her whole entire body felt as if it were weight down by a heavy source.

Something had happened. She knew that. But what it was she couldn't remember. Her eyelids closed. Bit by bit small flashes of her memories started to come back to her. Sabo…she remembered him yelling. Ace and Luffy were yelling too. Then several men surrounded them. Pirates, she believed. The red washed over her memories. Heat lashed out at her, drying up her skin.

That's right. Fire. She, Luffy, and Ace were in a fire. She had fallen unconscious. Gasping she sat up. Water trickled down her body. The world around her came into focus as did someone's words.

"C-Cade." Tears poured down Luffy's face.

Cade turned to her left to find Luffy's tear filled face.

"Y-yo avake! I vas so scard!"

Cade blinked. Luffy was standing on the bank of the river. She was sitting in the shallow end. That must be why she felt so heavy. Her body had been wet from the water. "What…" Her voice was scratchy, sore. "…ha'en?"

"Keep calm, Cade," Dogra said, kneeling beside Luffy. "You, Ace, and Luffy got caught inside of a fire. Do you remember?"  
Cade nodded.

"Good. No memories loss." Dogra sighed.

"C-Cade!" Luffy threw his arms around her neck.

Cade patted his back.

"Sabo…S-Sabo!" Luffy cried.

"Luf-, isokay…" Cade tried to speak but with each attempt pain shot through her throat.

"Take it easy now. You inhaled a lot of smoke," Dogra said.

Cade glanced behind him. None of the others were around.

"The others are back at the house. We've been taking turns watching over you," Dogra said. "You've been out for about two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Cade mouthed.

Dogra nodded. "Listen…there's something you should know."

Cade blinked and waited for the man to continue. Her eyes widened as he told her about what had happened since she had been unconscious. "What?!" She screamed then instantly wished she didn't. It was all lies. There was no possible way Dogra could be telling the truth. Sabo wasn't dead. He wasn't.

Dogra nodded. "Dead. Killed by a Celestial Dragon."

More tears and wails came from Luffy.

It wasn't a lie. It wasn't a dream. Sabo was gone. Her chest tightened. Tears stung her eyes. Her breathing increased, hurting her even more until the pain of Sabo's dead consumed that pain, turning it into a twister of agony.

Everything had gone so wrong so fast.

"Whenever you feel better we can head back to the house," Dogra said.

Cade managed a nod though she didn't want to move. She wanted to disappear under the surface of the water and never come back up. Somewhere within the pain she knew she had pushed herself to her feet. They made their way through the jungle. Time blurred to a stop. This jungle, that was once full of live, seemed dead. It would never be the same. Not without Sabo around.

And she was right. For several weeks she, Luffy, and Ace moped around the house, doing very little. As her wounds healed her mind started thinking about Ace and the possible connection to the pirate king. For some reason she wanted to confront him and ask him the truth. One day she figured it was because of Sabo's death. Why, exactly, she didn't know. But she decided it was time for them to talk. She lifted Luffy's head from her lap, stood from her spot leaning against the wall and walked over to him. "Ace."

Ace glanced up at her from the floor. "What?"

"Outside." Cade flickered Luffy a glance. He was still asleep, snoring as always. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Fine." Without an argument Ace stood.

Cade led the way from the house. She ended up at the cliff over looking the ocean.

Ace stepped up beside her. "So what's this about? Do you want to fight?"

"No. It's something else."

"Well, what?" Ace asked when she didn't continue.

"There's something I want to know. And I want the truth from you," Cade said.

"And what's that?" Ace asked.

"Are you the son of the pirate king?" Cade looked him directly in the eyes. A small spark of shock lit in his eyes before vanishing, replaced with a scowl. "Are you Gol D. Rogers son?"

"Yes." Ace nodded.

Cade blinked. "That easy, huh?"

Ace shrugged. "How did you figure it out?"  
"I heard you one day talking to some guys. You were asking them what they'd think of the pirate king having a son. I thought it was strange. Then I looked at his bounty poster again. You look a lot like him."

"Have you told Luffy?"

"No." Cade shook her head. "I wasn't a hundred percent sure."

"Don't tell him."

"Why?"  
Ace shrugged. "You know how he is. He'd never leave me alone if he knew."

"Well, that's true." Cade crossed her arms. "Did Sabo know?"

Ace nodded. "I told him one day."

"I'm kind of surprised you admitted it so easily," Cade said.

"Whatever. I don't really care if you know or not." Ace shrugged.

Silence spread between them. Cade's eyes wandered to the ocean. Several minutes passed before she said, "So…how are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"  
Cade flickered a glance at him before looking back at the ocean. "With Sabo gone. You knew him longer than Luffy and me. He was your best friend."

"I'm fine. Sabo wouldn't want us to be sad. He'd want us to continue living, to become pirates," Ace said. "And that's what we're going to do."

Cade nodded.

"How about you?"

Cade looked at him. She wasn't expecting him to ask how she was feeling. "I'm okay. It's not like I haven't lost anyone before."

"That's why…"

"What?"

"Nothing. Never mind."

"Uh huh." Cade glanced back at the water, stealing a couple glances at him. She had yet to thank him for carrying her out of the fire. She wasn't exactly how to do that. They had never been close. "So, um…Dogra told me that you carried me through the fire until he and the others got there."

"Yeah. So?"

"Nothing really." Cade shifted on her feet. "Just wanted to thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"No big deal." Ace kicked a rock. It sailed over the cliff and fell out of sight. "Luffy's not strong enough to carry you yet. I knew he'd be sad if you burned up."

"Yeah. Of course."

…

"Cade! You should make a fort, too!" Luffy said from inside of his small fort.

Cade stared at her younger brother and Ace. Both were sitting inside of small forts built completely by themselves. And it showed. Which was odd considering they build an impressive tree house together. "Are you kidding me? Those things are even big enough to sleep comfortably in." She shook her head. "I'll pass. Besides I need a place to store my sewing. If I keep it out here it'll get wet."

"Aw, you're no fun." Luffy pouted.

"Fine by me." Cade walked away with a wave of her hand.

Things had gotten back to normal. They had started up their training again. And living outside was part of that. Well, it was for Luffy and Ace. Cade didn't want to do it. Partly because it was so hot out, but mostly because it reminded her so much of Sabo. She missed him each day.

Then one day she got quite a bit of shock. Makino came to visit them and Ace asked her how to do a proper greeting.

Makino blinked, obviously shocked from the unusual question from the rough boy. "How to make a proper greeting?"

"Well, I'm Luffy…and Cade's…" He mumbled her name quickly. "…big brother, you see…and I don't want to be rude or anything." Ace shifted on his feet. "One day I'll go and thank old Red Hair for everything he's done for Luffy and Cade, you know?"

"Huh?" Cade perked up. Did she really just hear Ace call himself her big brother? True he mumbled at that point but she still heard him.

Makino smiled.

Cade felt her own lips curling into a smile. In this moment Ace looked almost…cute. Who knew?

"What's that look for?!" Ace demanded, cheeks flushed.

"I'm sorry." Makino giggles. "Well, then let's see…"

Cade leaned back against the house and watched as Makino gave Ace his lesson. She thought about how things had changed, a lot, since Sabo died. Most of that change she could see in Ace. She could also see it in herself. Her fights with Ace had fell to a small flame. They were no longer heated. It's like losing Sabo took the fight out of them, though they still had their arguments.

Then, before they knew it, seven years past in the blink of an eye. Ace had turned seventeen years old. It was the age they had decided to head out to sea. Cade was now fifteen. And Luffy was fourteen. They still had a few years to go before they left. But now was the time for their eldest brother to leave.

The walk down the mountain was a quiet one with an underlining tone of excitement. Cade had mixed feelings about Ace taking off. She knew it was coming, but she didn't think she would have trouble saying goodbye to him. Her eyes flittered up to Ace. A smile was on his lips. She wondered what he was thinking about. Probably Sabo. If their other brother were still alive he too would be setting sail on this day.

"There it is!" Luffy said.

Cade jumped. Refocusing she found they had reached the edge of the town. Only a few short minutes until Ace set sail. Just as they reached the edge of the town her feet paused. Ace and Luffy walked on ahead. "Ace. Wait."

"What is it?" Ace asked as he and Luffy turned back to her.

"I just…" Cade rubbed her arm. "There's something I want to say to you. Luffy, could you go on ahead?"

"Hm? You're not going to get into a fight with Ace, are you?" Luffy asked.

"No." Cade shook her head. "It's nothing like that. Just go on ahead. We'll be there in a minute."

"Well, okay." Luffy walked off.

"What is it?" Ace tilted his head.

"Just…be careful out there, okay?" Cade shifted on her feet, unable to look at him. "I mean for Luffy's sake. He's already lost one brother. He doesn't need to lose another."

"I see." Ace chuckled. "You're worried about me."

"I am not!" Cade snapped. Heat threated to rush to her cheeks. She pounded it down. "Luffy's the one who's worried about you!"

"Still stubborn as always. Don't worry, Cade. I'll be careful." Ace grinned. "And you don't have to fight it anymore. I think we've both done some growing up over these past few years." He placed a hand on her head. "We're siblings, too. Don't ever forget that."

Cade lifted her eyes to him and stared. His words warmed her chest. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but he was right. Their relationship had changed. They had accepted each other. Pushing upon her toes she pressed her lips to his.

"Hm?" Ace blinked rapidly.

Cade broke the kiss and stepped back. She stared at him, equally shocked as he was. "Wow. Well, that was unexpected."

"Yeah." Ace nodded. "Why did you do it?"

"I don't know." Cade collapsed her hands behind her back. "That's the third time."

"Third time?"  
"Yeah. I did it to Luffy and then Sabo when…" Cade gasped. "That's it?!"

"What's it?"

"When I kissed them! I accepted them! So weird!"

"So you kiss people you accept?" Ace tilted his head.

"Well, not _everyone_. For some reason it's only been you three." Cade scratched her head. "I wonder why?"

"Maybe it's because we're family?" Ace offered.

"You might be right. That's the only connection between us all that I can think of." Cade rubbed her chin.

"Well, then I'll accept it." Ace put his arm around Cade's shoulders and led her into the village.

"There you two are," Luffy said when they arrived at the small dock that Ace was leaving from.

Cade was surprised to fine that the mayor and Makino were there as well. They all said their goodbyes as Ace jumped into the small boat he had gotten for his trip.

"Good luck out there, Ace!" Luffy said.

"Just you wait! I'll make a name for myself in no time!" Ace said.

"He's still waving!" Luffy laughed.

"Dear me…what will Old Garp say about this?" the mayor said.

Cade had a few guesses on what Garp would say. And none of them were good.


	10. Three More Years

Three More Years

"This is so boring!" Luffy whined.

"Why don't you help instead of whine?" Cade brushed the sweat off her forehead with the back of her arm before looking at her little brother. He was sprawled out on the floor, looking up at the sky. She sighed when Luffy fell asleep. Shaking her head she turned back to the boat she had been working on. It really didn't matter that he wouldn't help her. The boat was complete anyway. She had finished putting the final touches on it. A small cooking pit filled with rocks and dirt. Now they would be able to cook on their boat without having it catch on fire.

All that was left was to put the boat into the water. With a shove and a grunt she did just that. The boat rocked on the water before settling into place. She tied the line to the dock then kicked Luffy's foot. "Come on, Luffy. Time to go back."

"Do we have to?" Luffy asked.

"Yes. We have to get ready for tomorrow."

"Yes!" Luffy jumped to his feet. "It's finally happening! We're setting sail tomorrow!"

Cade smiled. The two headed back through the village, waving to their friends as they went. A couple hours later they reached the bandits house. She paused to take it in while Luffy headed on inside. A bit of sadness settle in her chest at the thought of leaving tomorrow. Somehow, at some point in time, this place had become a home to her. After tomorrow she might never see it again. Or the people who lived there.

She shook her head. No point in dwelling on it now. It was time to take the next step in her life. Tomorrow…it was time to finally start her search for her brother. "Hold on, Kale. I'm coming for you."

…

Cade scanned her eyes around their shared bedroom one last time. It was hard to take in that this was it. These past ten years flow by so fast. Now, after the death of Sabo and Ace setting sail, it was their turn. Luffy had turned seventeen years old. And she had turned eighteen. They were setting sail as soon as they got back into town.

In those ten years they both had grown quite a lot. Luffy had gotten stronger. She had gotten stronger too. And she had gotten better at administrating first aid and how to sew clothes. There was nothing left to do now but set sail. Adjusting her bag straps she left the room.

The mountain bandits were all gathered in the living room. A rare thing for that to happen. Usually when they gathered it was for a meeting, food, or it was raining. Cade watched them for a moment. Some were concealing their emotions well while others were sad that their two _children_ were leaving.

Thumping footsteps came closer before the Luffy appeared at the front door. "Cade! Are you ready?"

"I am." Cade nodded.

"Yes! Hey guys! We're leaving now! Don't you want to see us off?!" Luffy looked to the mountain bandits. A few glanced up but none say a word. "Are you all really not going to say goodbye?"

"Whatever," Dadan sniffed. Smoke rose from her cigarette. Her back was to them as she lay on the floor. She scratched her butt then waved at them. "You two are so annoying. The mayor and Makino might not mind but everyone else in the village won't be happy to see us there so just go already!"

"Eh?! Just like that?" Luffy complained.

"Let it go, Luffy." Cade walked over to him. "You know they've never been ones to be open like you."

"Fine," Luffy grumbled but then his grin came back to his face. "Thank you for everything!"

The bandits scratched their heads and looked a bit sheepish.

Cade rolled her eyes. Why couldn't they just admit they were sad to see her and Luffy leave?

"Don't say that. That feels awkward!" Dogra chuckled.

"Try not to get into much trouble while we're gone," Cade said.

"Whatever." Dadan waved over her shoulder. "I said get going. You're bothering me."

"We're going to miss you," a bandit said.

"You're going to miss Cade cleaning and cooking for you. Not to mention sewing your clothes up," another said with a roll of his eyes.

"What?! That's not what I meant!"

"Yeah right."

"Take that back!" The two bandits grabbed each other and started throwing punches.

Cade shook her head with disbelief that she was going to actually miss this, miss them.

Luffy laughed as the two bandits kept fighting as others held back their tears of gratitude. "Oh! And before I forget, Dadan!"

"What?!" Dadan snapped.

"I don't like mountain bandits," Luffy said with a grin. "But I like you guys."

Dadan gasped and her cigarette fell onto the floor. "Stop talking nonsense and go away, you bastards!" she blubbered. She pulled out a handkerchief and blew into it while tears streamed down her face. "Darn it! Why am I surrounded by such fools?!"

"Oh, are you crying?" Luffy asked.

"I'm not crying, you idiot!" Dadan yelled.

"Of course you're not. You're a tough mountain bandit. They don't cry," Cade said. "Ever."

"That's right! Now get lost before I don't cry all over the place!" Dadan pointed to the door. "And don't ever come back! I mean it! You come back and I'll kill you both!"

The other bandits smiled and waved at the parting pair.

"See ya!" Luffy turned and left the house.

Cade followed. She remained quiet as Luffy hummed beside her. Their walk through the jungle was a quiet one. It had gotten like that for the past couple of years. The animals in the forest now feared them. The animals never tried to attack them anymore. It was a bit of a bummer. She missed them chasing her through the jungle. But it really didn't matter. She had gotten fast and stronger than them anyway. They didn't present a challenge anymore. Sun spilled through the leaves above. She glanced up. "Kind of hard to believe this day has actually arrived."

"You think so?" Luffy glanced at her.

"Yeah." Cade nodded.

"Are you worried?"

"No. Not really. More anxious than anything. I'm finally going to start my search for my brother."

Luffy took her hand. "We're starting _our_ search. You're not alone. I'm with you. Don't ever forget that."

"I won't." Cade gave his hand a squeeze.

A couple hours later they reached the end of the mountain. Just a mile away was the town. And the start of their journey. Time seemed to have slowed down as they closed the distance.

Luffy threw his hands behind his head as they casually sauntered into town.

Memories came flooding back to her as she looked the village over.

"Hey! Luffy! Cade!" a man called. "Heading out now, huh?"

"We sure are!" Luffy said.

"Good luck!" The man waved.

"Thanks!" Luffy waved back.

When they got to the docks several members of the town was already waiting for them, including Makino and the mayor.

"You two aren't taking much with you." Makino eyed the two teenagers.

"It's not like we can take a lot with us anyway." Cade looked to their small boat that she had fixed up for them. A barrel was sitting in it now.

"That's true. I managed to gather some apple for your trip. Don't you want anything else?" Makino asked.

"I'll get us some fish to eat." Cade waved to the boat. "That's why I added in that cooking area. You know how Luffy eats."

"That was a good idea." Makino looked to the boat. At the front of the boat was a small square. Sand and rocks had been placed in the square with a few pieces of wood. "Take care you two. It's going to be so quiet without you two around."

"We'll be fine," Luffy said before jumping into the boat. The vessel dipped before popping back up. "Let's go!"

Cade leapt from the island. The boat bobbed from her own weight before settling into place.

"It's reckless taking so little with you," the major said.

"This is how Ace and Sabo left," Luffy said. "This is how we're going to do it too."

"Such children!" the mayor snapped. "Cade! Don't let this brat get hurt!"

"I'll do my best." Cade nodded.

"All right!" Luffy threw his fists into the air. "Time to set sail! Cade! Let's go!"

"Aye, _Captain_." Cade placed her foot on the dock. With a shove their small boat floated away.

"Hey! Are you two sure you don't want to take my old fishing boat?" one of the friendly villagers said. "That thing is going to sink any minute, Luffy!"

"Nope. It's fine." Luffy stood with his hands on his hips before spreading his arms out with pride and excitement. "This is exactly the type of boat I want to start out with."

He then turned his eyes towards the heavens. "SABO!" he screamed, "Watch over us! We're heading out to sea now!"

Cade's eyes drifted to the sky. _Sabo…it's been so long. Watch over us. Okay? You know how Luffy is. I'm going to need all the help I can get to keep him safe. And, if it's not too much trouble, keep and eye on Ace and Kale, too._

Luffy lowered his hands and his voice. "Sabo was first and then Ace...We're third to set out to sea. But I'm going to top them all. I will be king of the pirates. Wait for me, Ace! I'll catch up to you soon!"

"I wonder how long it will be before we run into Ace." Cade took off her bag and sat it down on the floor before sitting down herself. "He knows we'll be setting out to sea now."

"I'm sure we'll find him in no time at all," Luffy said.

"Goodbye!" the villagers cheered.

"Take care!

"We'll be looking for you in the newspapers!"

"Good luck!"

"What a nice day to set sail, right, Cade?" Luffy grinned.

"It sure it. Clear sky. Calm sea." Cade looked up at the sky. "Yup. A good day to set sail. Just one last thing to take care of." Her eyes dropped back to the ocean just as the calm sea broke up.

Small waves rocked their boat as the sea king living in the waters emerged in front of them. Its shadow fell over their boat as its dark red eyes glared down at them. Its sharp fangs gleamed in the sunlight, ready to strike, ready to devour them.

Cade smiled. The creature that took Shanks's arm. It might have been too much for them back then but now the tides had turned. She crossed her arms, knowing Luffy would want the pleasure.

Luffy got up to his feet, his hat cast shadows over his eyes. "I'm glad you showed up. You're the last piece of business we have to deal with before leaving." He wound up his arm. "Let me show you the results of my training the last ten years!" He pulled back his arm to the point it reached all the way back to the docks. "Gum Gum…Pistol!"

He threw his fist forward, knocking the sea king squarely between the eyes. The sea king's eyes whited out before it fell back into the sea with its tongue hanging out its mouth. The boat rocked again from the waves.

Luffy laughed. "Alright! That felt so good!"

Cade, smiling, grabbed the oars and started rowing. She stared at Luffy while his eyes remained on the horizon, on their upcoming adventure. In some ways Luffy had really changed. He was physically and mentally stronger. He got complete control over his devil fruit and learned a lot of tricks and attacks with it. In other ways he was still the same. He was still the light hearted, goofy, and lovable brother she had known for so many years now. She wasn't sure how much she had changed. She knew she had gotten stronger, too. But she didn't know if it would be enough to accomplish her goal.

"Cade? What are you thinking about?"

She sighed. "If I'm strong enough to find him."

"You're strong. You will fine him. Besides this isn't the end of our training." Luffy reached out.

Cade stopped rowing when his hand landed on hers. She looked up at him just before his lips landed on her forehead. Her eyebrows rose. "Luffy?"

"It'll be fine. You'll get even stronger than you are now." Luffy grinned. "Now stop worrying. And don't row the whole time. I need to keep getting stronger too."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry I keep worrying about this." Cade started rowing again. "I'll stop rowing in a while. Then you can take over. Or if we get a wind we'll lower the sail."

Luffy nodded then jumped to the barrel.

"Luffy, you better not eat all of those," Cade said. "We have to ration them. It could be a while before we get more food."

"It'll be fine." Luffy shoved one in his mouth before grabbing an armful and sitting back down. "Like you said you can get us fish."

"That doesn't mean you can eat how much ever you want," Cade said. "At least not until we get a ship and a fridge."

"Yes! Then we get more food!" Luffy ate three apples at once.

Cade sighed. Same old Luffy.


	11. Coby the Coward

Coby the Coward

"Cade! I'm hungry!" Luffy whined.

"You really need to learn to pace yourself when it comes to eating." Cade looked into their empty barrel that once had plenty of apples. Well, plenty if you were anyone but Monkey D. Luffy. She was surprised they even lasted the four days they had been sailing. Now all that remained was the worn wood and a dismal grey shadow.

"Cade! Food!" Luffy threw his fists and feet in the air like a child.

With a heavy sigh Cade pushed herself to her feet. "Fine. I'll go catch some fish."

"Yes!" Luffy threw his fists into the air in victory.

Rolling her eyes, Cade dove into the water without another word to her brother. Water rushed like silk over her hot skin. Kicking her feet she started making her way through the water, looking for fish to suit Luffy. A massive yellow tailed fish swam by. It would be a great meal for Luffy, if they were on land. Being on a small boat wouldn't allow for such a meal. Turning from the fish she looked for some that weighted about twenty pounds each. Those would be more manageable.

Twenty minutes into her search a feeling of concern washed over her. Something was up with Luffy. Abandoning her search she swam back up to the surface to find the small boat and Luffy were gone. "Just great. What trouble has he gotten himself into this time?"

The water around her started pulling her. Looking to her right she saw what it was. A massive whirlpool was spinning, roaring with fury, as she got closer. "Just great. I bet anything that Luffy got caught up in that somehow. He was probably sleeping."

Cade dove. With strong kicks she pushed herself out of the whirlpool's grasp. With a quick glance around under water she found pieces of their boat but no Luffy. _The barrel is missing, too. He must have gotten in that and gotten away from here._

Cade swam a few feet below the surface in the direction the current was heading.

...

Luffy hung over the side of the boat. His eyes scanned the dark shadows passing below the surface. His stomach grumbled. "Cade… Come on. I'm dying of starvation here. Hurry up."

Luffy sighed when Cade didn't appear instantly. He rolled away from the side and flopped onto his back. His stomach grumbled louder. "Cade!" He sighed. "Maybe I can take a nap. That'll make time pass faster."

A cloud passed overhead as his eyes started to fall closed. Before he could nod off a rumbling roar caused him to sit up. "What is that?"  
Shielding his eyes from the sun he scanned the water. Fifty yards from him was a dark blue mass swirling and swirling, pulling him and his boat towards it. "What?! A whirlpool! This isn't good!"

Luffy stood up and grabbed an oar. The oar slapped against the water as Luffy tried to get away from the whirlpool. "What am I thinking? I can't pull away from this thing." His eyes landed on the barrel. A light went on before he climbed into the barrel. Tugging down the lid, he slipped his fingers inside. Darkness surrounded him before the roar of the whirlpool drowned his hearing. "I hope Cade can find me. All well I know she will. Time to sleep."

Luffy's eyes closed. Snoring filled the barrel.

…

Ten minutes later she came upon a ship and headed back to the surface. A ruckus greeted her when her head broke through. "Geez. Let me guess. Luffy's up there."

Cade dove once again. Taking a moment to pull her cloak on she launched herself up towards the ship. Air broke around her head for a split second before he landed on the railing with a thump. Sure enough Luffy was standing in the middle of a bunch of angry pirates and a mess he undoubtedly made. Standing half hidden by her brother was a short pink haired boy with glasses.

"Oh! Cade! There you are! I was wondering when you'd show up." Luffy smiled and waved at her.

"What am I going to do with you?" Cade crossed her arms and shook her head. "You're always getting into trouble."

Luffy laughed. "Sorry. This wasn't my fault. A whirlpool wreaked our boat."

"Yeah. I figured that when I saw the pieces at the bottom of it." Cade sighed as she eyed the pirates.

"L-L-Luffy, who are you?" Coby stammered, eyes with fear and confusion. "And who's she? Did she just jump out of the water? _How_ did she jump out of the water?"

Luffy grinned and fish hooked his own cheek, stretching it passed his shoulder. "I'm a rubber man! And that's Cade. She's my sister. She's a fishman."

"A f-fishman?!" a pirate stuttered. The pirates gaped at her.

"Really, Luffy?" Cade sighed and lowered her hood. "How can you still not understand the point of a disguise? You're impossible."

A few pirates screamed. "She _is_ a fishman!"

"What's a fishmen doing here in the East Blue?!"

"Do you think she's part of that fishmen crew that's been spotted in the East Blue?"  
"Fishmen crew? What fishmen crew?" Cade searched for the pirates who spoke. Before she could locate them her search was interrupted.

"You!" a harsh woman voice screamed.

Cade turned her attention to a large woman with thin lips pulling herself up out of a hole. Pieces of broken wood fell from her, clanking on the deck. The woman's outfit resembled a cowboy's. She also wore a pistol in her purple sash and held a large spikey club over her shoulder where her unruly black curls hung. "Who's that?"

"Just some fat woman pirate." Luffy dug his finger in his ear.

"Who are you calling fat?!" The woman's face flushed red.

"L-Luffy!" The pink haired guy's knees knocked together. "Use her name! It's Alvida! Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"You little brats! You're going to die!" Alvida swung her club.

Luffy pushed the pink haired boy out of the way and took the club on the head. He smiled. "That won't work on me."

The pirates' mouths dropped.

"I'm made of rubber! Remember?" Luffy pulled back his fist. "Gum Gum Pistol!"

_Smash!_ Luffy's fist slammed into Alvida's face, right on her nose. The woman went flying backwards before landing on the ground with a hard thud. Luffy then pointed at the remaining pirates. "You! Give Coby a boat! He's joining the marines!"

"This maraca is joining the marines?" Cade stared at Coby.

Coby, still trembling, nodded. "Th-that's right. I am going to be a marine."

"Okay. Good luck with that." Cade waved him off. "Are we done here yet? Or is there something else you want to beat up?"  
"Yup!" Luffy nodded. "We're done here."

The enemy pirates scrambled around to get a boat ready. Cannon fire blasted through the air. The ship rocked as the cannon balls landed beside it in the water.

"Time to go!" Luffy jumped on the side of the ship and then into the boat that had been prepared.

Cade followed with a single jump.

"Wait for me!" Coby scrambled into the boat. "I don't want to stay here!"

"Then go to them." Luffy pointed at the navy ships. "They're right there."

"What?! I can't do that now! They'll think I'm a pirate!" Coby gasped.

"You've made your choice them." Cade tugged a rope.

Their boat plummeted. Water splashed upon them as they hit the surface of the water. Movement caught Cade's eye. Turning to her left she saw a girl with short orange hair was clinging to another lifeboat beside theirs. Her boat, though, was packed with cloth sacks and treasure chests. Cade wondered who the girl was for a split second before her eyes caught her attention. The shock within the girl's eyes quickly changed to pure hatred. Cade had felt hatred from humans before. But something about this girl's hatred was different.

The sudden movement from Luffy using the oars jerked Cade's attention away from the orange haired girl before she could figure things out. Another round of cannon fire prompted her to swirl water in the air. She waited until it spun fast enough before placing her hand in the ocean. The water shot from her hand, propelling the boat forward.

"Yeah!" Luffy held his hat to his head. "Faster!"

Coby screamed and grabbed a hold of the small mast. "What the heck?! How are you doing that?!"

A few minutes later Cade lifted her hand from the water. Their boat slowed down. Cade unfurled the sail and let the wind take over.

"That… that was scary," Coby said, eyes spinning in circles. "You're insanely strong. What did you just do?"

Cade shrugged and sat against the boat's side. "I'm a fishman. It's natural that I'll be a bit stronger than humans. My people can control water."

"I'm surprised you found me," Luffy said. "I thought that whirlpool took me farther away from you."

"I followed the current. I figured it would lead me to you at some point," Cade said. "Unless you got eaten by a sea king."

"Where _did_ you come from when you landed on the ship?" Coby asked.

"From under the surface. I was hunting for some fish when I noticed Luffy and our boat was gone," Cade said.

"Yeah. I got caught in a huge whirlpool," Luffy said. "I hid in the empty barrel. Then those pirates pulled me onboard."

"I figured that's what happened." Cade nodded at Coby. "So who's this kid?"

"He's an idiot who stumbled upon a pirate ship." Luffy jerked his thumb at Coby. "He was that fat woman's servant boy for two years."

"I was a cabin boy! Not a servant!" Coby screamed.

"You walked onto a pirate ship?" Cade blinked. "How stupid does someone have to be to do that?"

"It wasn't my fault! That's not the point anyway!" Coby sighed. "For get that. Can I ask you two a question?" The pirates nodded. "If Luffy is going after the One Piece, that means you two are going to the Grand Line, right?"

"Of course we are," Cade said. "Where else would we go?"

"That place is also referred to as a pirate graveyard, you know?" Coby said.

"I know." Cade rolled her shoulders. "Technically, I come from the Grand Line."

"Eh?! You do?!" Coby shrieked. "How did you end up here in the East Blue then?"

"Of course, as Luffy so graciously pointed out, I'm a fishman after all." Cade pointed at ears and wiggled them. "My people come from Fishman Island, which is in the Grand Line. My mom left there when she was young. I was born in the East Blue. So I don't know much about Fishman Island."

"I see. So why did you try and hide in a cloak?" Coby's eyes dropped to her cloak hanging on her shoulders.

"Because humans typically hate fishmen." Cade clenched her fists. "Luffy's going to lead us into enough trouble. I'm trying to avoid adding to the problems. Besides, I'm looking for someone. It'll best if we didn't get so much attention on us. Though I doubt that plan will last long with this idiot around." She pulled Luffy's cheek from his face then released it.

Luffy's skin snapped back into place.

"Oh." Coby nodded. "Who are you looking for? If you don't mind me asking?"

"My little brother," Cade said. "We were separated several years ago by pirates. He'll be a slave right now."

"Sorry." Coby's eyes dimmed before brightening up. "Hey! I know! Maybe I can help search for him? Well, when I join in the marines?"

"Don't worry about it." Cade waved her hand. "It's my problem. You could get into trouble if you help a pirate."

"You're right. But I still want to help."

"Do whatever you want." Cade looked at Luffy. "So where are we going?"

"To find a pirate hunter," Luffy said.

"Pirate hunter?" Cade cocked an eyebrow.

"He's going to join our crew." Luffy grinned.

"He can say no," Cade said.

"Won't happen."

"Coming from you I don't doubt that. So who's this pirate hunter?"

Coby said, "His name is Roronoa Zoro. I heard he's being held prisoner at a navy base on an island that's close by."

"An island? Is it a big island? Any slaves there?" Cade asked.

"It's big enough to have a navy base. I doubt there are slaves because of the marines," Coby said.

"Right." Cade slumped. "I forgot about that."

"Don't worry, Cade." Luffy patted her shoulder. "We'll be visiting plenty of islands. What about the fish? Did you get any?"

Cade rubbed her temple. "Are you kidding? I had to look for you."

"Aw." Luffy pouted. "At least I ate back on that pirate ship. It still wasn't enough though."

"You'll get over it. We can get food at the island," Cade said.

Luffy whined. "Cade!"

"You'll live."

"Are you two sure about adding a pirate hunter to your crew?" Coby asked.

"Of course. If he's a good guy, I'm going to ask him," Luffy said.

"You're crazy. You can't do that. He's a monster!" Coby said.

"We can't be sure about that yet," Luffy said.

"Come on, Luffy. This is a pirate hunter we're talking about," Coby pleaded. "Why would a pirate hunter join a pirate crew?"

"Let it go, Coby," Cade said. "You can't change his mind once it's set."

Coby sighed and said nothing more.

The three fell silent as they road the wind and water. Coby threw glances at Luffy all the time. Cade could imagine he was trying to find someway to get Luffy to change his mind. Yet the boy seemed to listen to her, as he never said another word on the subject. Though she expected it wouldn't last once they reached the island. Coby was definitely a coward, a coward who didn't want anyone around him to do anything dangerous. Which she found odd since Coby wanted to be a marine. But maybe that would change if he actually stayed being a marine. Despite that, she had to admit that she too was curious about this pirate hunter and what would happen once Luffy met him. Would this pirate hunter become a pirate if a pirate freed him from the marines? Or would this pirate hunter only use them to get free then turn on them?

Minutes ticked by before a dark shadow appeared in the distance.

"Looks like we're about there." Coby shielded his eyes for a better look.

Little by little the island in the distance grew closer. The darkness from the distance faded into colors of greens, whites, and browns from the trees and buildings. Soon they pulled into the small harbor and dropped anchor.

"All right then. Let's see what this pirate hunter is like," Cade said.

"Yeah." Luffy nodded.

…

**Author's Notes: Decided to pick this up again and continue with it like I had originally planned. I'm going to take it slow, one arc at a time.**


	12. Pirate Hunter & Marines

Pirate Hunter & Marines

Luffy, sitting at the head of the boat, shielded his eyes and looked out to the horizon. "Are we there yet?"

"Shouldn't be much longer now," Coby said.

Cade shifted as Coby's eyes drifted to her. He smiled. She frowned. "What?"

"Nothing." Coby rubbed his head. "I'm… never mind. It's nothing."

"You got a problem with me being a fishman?" Cade narrowed her eyebrows.

"Not at all." Coby bowed his head. "I'm sorry. It's just… I've never seen a fishman before. I've heard stories about them here and there, but I never thought I'd actually meet one."

"Well, I'll be sure to give you a picture of me before we part ways," Cade deadpanned. "It'll be fantastic."

"You don't care much for me, do you?" Coby ducked his head.

"Of course she likes you!" Luffy looked over his shoulder with a huge grin. "If she didn't she would have thrown you overboard by now. She's distrustful of humans until she gets to know them."

"Luffy," Cade warned.

"Come on, sis. He's okay. I know you like him. You trust me after all."

Cade growled and slumped.

"Humans have harassed Cade and her family when they were together. Humans are responsible for the death of her mom and turning her brother into a slave," Luffy said.

"That's horrible. Have you told the navy about this?"

Cade snorted. "Yeah. Because humans are so trustful of those different from them. They'd be so excited to help me."

"Sorry." Coby's eyes dropped to the floor of the boat.

"But Cade is becoming more accepting of humans." Luffy moved to his sister and put his arm around her. "All because of me."

"Really?" Coby looked up.

"He forced me into it," Cade said. "When he found me on his island years ago and he wouldn't leave me alone. Eventually I gave up and somehow became his friend and sister. Now I'll die to protect him while we travel together."

Coby nodded with a solemn smile. "Your relationship is so nice."

"Anyway, you're doing really great with the boat, Coby," Luffy said. "I think we'll actually reached our destination at this rate. All because of you."

"Of course. It's the basics of navigation," Coby said. "Surely one of you can navigate as well."

"Nope!" Luffy grinned.

"Luffy doesn't have the patience to learn something like that." Cade shrugged. "As for me… well, I've picked up some basic navigational skills but I find it rather boring studying charts and all that."

"If you wander around at sea every time without a proper navigator, you'll never become a pirate. You two should really try and find one."

"We will at some point," Cade said.

"You two are so laid back about all of this." Coby chuckled with concern.

"We're finally here!" Luffy threw a fist into the air.

Cade and Coby turned forward. A dark spot in the distance grew closer until it formed into an island. Coby guided the boat into the harbor. He scrambled onto the dock and looped the rope around a pole so the boat wouldn't drift away.

Cade stepped upon the dock and stretched her back out before looking around. The harbor was small with only a few wooden docks and one other boat anchored there. A few yards from their location was the town. No one was close by so she left her hood down for the moment.

"Yup. We're here," Coby said, a little tremble in his voice.

"Okay. Let's see if we can find this Zoro guy," Luffy said. "And something to eat."

Cade pulled her hood back up as they entered the village. It was a busy town with at least five times the inhabitants as Foosha Village. Most of the people were bustling about the market that lined the road, sell or buy the wares and taking no real notice of the small group that entered their home. They headed for the main street. She eyed the people as Luffy snagged an apple from a vendor and tossed her a coin. The apple crunched when Luffy bit into it.

"Luffy, I have to say it again," Coby warned from behind them. "You're crazy to want him to join you. We're talking about Zoro here."

Gasps erupted from the townspeople as they jumped away from the pirates.

"What was that about?" Cade asked. They continued walking.

"Have you even been listening to me? Zoro is a bad guy!" Coby continued.

Another round of gasps and panicked jumps came from the villagers. Cade quirked an eyebrow. Something wasn't right about this town.

"That was weird." Coby looked at the townspeople. "Zoro must be really bad if they react like that with only his name. Are you sure about this?"

"Like I said," Luffy replied with his mouthful, "I haven't decided yet. I want to see if he's a good guy or not."

"He's been caught because he's a bad guy! Will you listen to me?!" Coby shouted.

"Hey! There's a restaurant!" Luff rushed towards a building.

"Take it easy, Luffy." Cade rushed after him. "We don't have that much money right now."

"Okay." Luffy pouted then entered into the building.

Cade scanned the room. Only three other people were eating. She sat down beside her brother, deciding no one here should cause trouble or notice she was a fishman. As they ate Coby continued to go on and on about how bad it was to go see Zoro. Cade blocked his voice out at that point. Clearly the young man wasn't going to give it up.

"Well, we'll go our separate ways here." Luffy patted his full stomach once they were back outside. "You do your best to be a great marine, okay?"  
"I will. Thank you so much, Luffy. You two become great pirates. Although we'll be enemies in the future." Coby brushed tears away with his arm.

"Can we get on with this?" Cade crossed her arms. "And why are you two saying goodbye? We're all going to the same place for the moment."

"Oh, right. I forgot." Coby fiddled with his fingers. "I'm nervous."

"Yes! Let's check out the marine base now." Luffy nodded and continued to walk down the city street until they came upon the brick wall separating the base from the rest of the town. "Wow. Looks rather ugly up close."

Cade nodded in agreement. The diagonal stripes on the base looked terrible. Who in their right mind would do such a paint job?

"Coby, you going to join the navy from here, right?" Luffy looked at their companion.

"Y-yes but I'm not really ready yet," Coby stuttered. "I'm not prepared for it. Besides, that incident in the town got me thinking…"

Luffy threw his hand up, grabbing the top of the wall. He pulled himself up.

"Ah! Luffy!"

Cade jumped up with him, grabbing onto the warm stone. Crossing her arms over the wall she hung there beside Luffy.

"Luffy! Cade! What in the world are you two doing?!" Coby cried from the ground.

"Do you see him?" Luffy asked, ignoring the pink haired boy.

Cade looked around until she spotted a guy tied to a makeshift wooden cross a few yards down from them. His head was lowered and he had a dark green bandana tied around his head. Faint traces of solid muscle were hid under his white shirt, a green belly warmer tied tightly around his waist, and pants that matched his bandana. "That looks like it could him."

"Let's go see!" Luffy dropped back to the ground.

Cade remained on the wall and followed Luffy as they moved down closer to the man believed to be Zoro. This time Coby joined them on the wall. Though he didn't last long. One look at the glare the man wore sent Coby falling to the ground. Cade stared into the man's eyes. It was easy to tell he was strong. So how exactly did the navy capture him? She pulled her eyes away from him, she really didn't care how he got here, and glanced down at Coby. "What's wrong with you?"

"It… it's him! It's Roronoa Zoro! And that aura of his is so intimidating!" Sweat dripped down Coby's skin.

"So that's Zoro, huh? Those ropes look like they'll be easy to break," Luffy said.

"Stop joking around! If you free him, he could make a mess in the town and even get yourself killed!" Coby gasped.

"Hey, could you please come over here and untie me? I've been tied up for nine days and I'm exhausted," Zoro said.

"Nine days?" Cade blinked. "Without food and water?"

"That's right." A grin spread over the man's face.

"Look, he's smiling," Luffy said.

"H-he spoke!" Coby squeaked and ducked behind the wall.

"Why did you even come bac up here if you're going to hide behind the wall? Go back to the ground," Cade said. "So what are we going to do, Luffy? Should we go talk to him up close?"

Coby's mouth dropped open. Before he could shriek, cry, scream, or whatever he was going to do, a ladder tapped against the wall. Cade at it as a pigtailed girl wearing a striped dress crawled up to the top of the wall. The girl pressed a finger to her lips and shushed them before dropping a rope and sliding down it. The girl didn't hesitate as she ran over to Zoro.

"Wait! Girl, come back!" Coby called. "It's not safe here!"

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Zoro asked.

Cade hummed. _So this guy knows this girl. Are they friends or family?_ As Coby demanded for Luffy to save the girl, Cade watched her closely. The girl held out two rice balls towards Zoro. She tilted her head to listen better.

"This is the first time I made rice balls."

"I'm not hungry. Go away."

"But…"

"I don't want it! Leave! I'll kill you if you don't go away right now!"

"Roronoa Zoro! Don't pick on kids!"

Cade turned to the new voice. A man with a bowl cut hairstyle and sharp suit walked towards Zoro and the girl with two marines flanking him.

"Some weirdo came out," Luffy said.

"He must be someone important in the marines. Thank goodness the girl is safe now," Coby said.

"If it isn't the lieutenant's bastard son," Zoro said.

"Son?" Cade glanced at Zoro then back at the other man.

"Bastard? Don't get cocky! My dad is a marine lieutenant." The polished man stomped his foot.

Cade rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Coby. This weirdo is really a nice guy."

Luffy nodded. "He is a weirdo."

"Well hello, little girl. These rice balls look pretty tasty." The man snatched one from the girl's hand.

"Hey! Stop it!" the girl said.

The man shoved it into his mouth then spit in on the ground. "Gross! Horrible! You put too much sugar in it! You're supposed to put salt in them!"

"But… but I thought they'd taste better if they were sweet."

"How could anyone eat something this gross!" The man knocked the other rice ball out of the girl's hand and stomped on them.

Tears formed in the girl's eyes. "Ah! Stop it! Stop! I worked so hard on those! Now he can't eat them anymore!"

"That's so cruel! That girl worked so hard to make them!" Coby said.

"Don't worry. I'm sure the ants will eat them." The man laughed.

"That's so mean. I… I tried really hard to make them." The girl's lip trembled.

"Aw, don't cry. It's no wonder why I hate little brats so much," the man said.

"Man, that guy is a jerk," Cade said as the man continued to talk to the girl. He pointed at a sign and went on about how helping a criminal is a punishable offense and how scary his dad is. Then the man ordered one of the marines to throw the girl over the wall.

He did.

Luffy launched himself into the air and grabbed the girl, pressing her tight to his chest.

Cade shot out a steam of water. She caught them and they slid down the waterslide to the ground. She and Coby jumped down from the wall.

"Hey, are you all right?" Coby knelt in front of the girl.

"Those bastards. Thanks, Cade." Luffy dusted off his shorts.

"We're going back over, right?" Cade stared up at the top of the wall.

"Yup." Luffy threw his fist towards the wall.

Cade bent her knees and launched herself at the same time as Luffy did. They sailed over the wall and landed before running over to Zoro. The marines and the man were gone.

"You two haven't left yet? Get lost. If you don't that creep will tell his dad," Zoro said.

"Oh yeah?" Luffy asked. "Anyway, we're looking for someone to join our pirate crew."

"Pirates? So you just gave up on life and became a crook, huh?" Zoro asked.

"It's my dream. There's nothing wrong with being a pirate," Luffy said.

"Hm? Don't tell me you're going to set me free and force me to join your crew," Zoro said.

"I haven't made up my mind yet since everyone thinks you're a bad guy." Luffy adjusted his hat.

"A bad guy, huh? I'll never join you because I have something that I need to take care of. I can survive even if you don't help me. I just need to stay alive for one month. That bastard kid promised to let me go afterwards."

Cade snorted. "You humans. You can be far too trusting of each other."

"Big words from someone hiding under a hood. Just watch. I'm going to do everything I can to stay alive. And fulfill my dreams," Zoro said.

"Really?" Luffy asked. "If I were you I'd starve to death within a week."

"That's why we're different. Go find someone else to join your crew," Zoro said.

Cade watched Luffy for a moment to see what he would chose to do. He turned to walk away.

"Hey, wait." Zoro looked down at the smashed rice balls. "Give me those."

"You want to eat this?" Luffy scooped the rice balls off the ground. "It's all covered in dirt. Well, I guess you can't be picky about food when you're hungry."

"Shut up and give it to me. I'll eat all of it." Zoro opened his mouth and Luffy dropped it in.

Cade cringed. "That is so disgusting. How can you eat that?"

"He apparently wants to kill himself." Luffy crossed his arms.

Zoro coughed. "Tell that little girl the rice balls tasted very good. Thanks for them."

Luffy laughed. "You got it."

Cade and Luffy jumped back over the wall. "So what do you think?"

"He's interesting," Luffy said.

"How did it go?" Coby asked.

"Great." Luffy led the way away from the wall. "Zoro said he loved your rice balls."

"Really?!" The girl smiled.

"He did." Luffy nodded.

"I'm so happy!"

Luffy hopped upon a step, crossed his legs, and grabbed his ankles. Cade stood beside him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hm? Is he really that horrible person his reputation says he is?" Coby asked thoughtfully.

Cade wasn't sure about it herself. She could tell by the look in Zoro's eyes that he was strong and dangerous. But what exactly did that mean? Who was he dangerous towards? He hunted for people with bounties. Did that mean he only targeted pirates and bandits? Zoro didn't show any real hostility towards her and Luffy when they went back to talk to him. Of course that could have been because he was tied up and unarmed. Would he have been different if he were free and armed? She didn't know. All she knew was she could trust Luffy. Luffy, somehow, had a good sense when it came to people.

"No, he isn't," Luffy said.

"Though he could be that way against his enemies. I doubt you'll see many people being hateful towards kids, even humans." Cade looked at the little girl. Despite Zoro's harsh words saying he'd kill this little girl it was obvious he was lying. Murderous intent wasn't in his eyes.

"You really do distrust humans, huh?" Coby looked at her.

Cade shrugged and said nothing.

"Zoro's not a bad guy." Everyone looked at the girl. "He got arrested because of me. He killed Helmeppo's pet wolf."

"Helmeppo?" Cade asked.

"That blonde guy's name is Helmeppo," the girl said. "Zoro killed the wolf because Helmeppo let it run loose. Everyone was scared of it. It terrorized the town. Helmeppo didn't do anything to stop it. So Zoro stopped the wolf by killing it."

"So you're saying that Zoro was arrested because he killed that weirdo's wolf?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah." The girl nodded. "That's right."

"So maybe he has a bad temper, but chasing down fugitives isn't that big of a crime either." Coby adjusted his glasses before sitting down on a barrel. The girl sat down beside Luffy.

"Seems like the only bad guys around here are Lieutenant Morgan and his son. You'll get executed if you disobey them, so everyone's afraid of them," Coby said. "I mentioned the Lieutenant's name before and the town gasped again."

Laughter rang out in the air. "Who dares raise his head? I'll tell my dad!" Helmeppo came strutting down the street with his two marines following. The people parted like waves pulling back into the ocean. "Do you want to be like Roronoa Zoro? I'm going to publicly execute him in three days. I'll use him to set an example for all of you! It's going to be pretty interesting."

"Three days?" Luffy asked.

"So much for the promise he made to Zoro. What a creep." Cade shook her head then scoffed. "_Humans_."

"Didn't you say you'd give him a month?" Luffy stood and faced Helmeppo.

"Who are you? How rude!" Helmeppo said. "I was only joking with him! Only an idiot would believe a stupid promise like that!"

Luffy threw his fist out, slamming it on Helmeppo's nose.

Cade snatched Luffy's hat out of the air as Helmeppo sailed through the air and hit the ground with a hard thud.

"Luffy!" Coby grabbed his arm. "Stop it! Please calm down!"

"Coby, I've decided," Luffy said, determined.

"Huh?" Coby blinked.  
"I'm going to ask Zoro to join me!"

Cade smiled. "Figures." She turned to the people when they started murmuring around them.

"This… this is bad. Who is that guy?"

"He dared to hit Lieutenant's son! Lieutenant Morgan's not going to be happy about that!"

"Luffy!" Coby tried to hold Luffy back when he started for the navy base. "Calm down! They're marines! You can't fight them!"

"I don't care! A bastard is still a bastard!" Luffy marched forward.

"You dare to hit me?! My dad hasn't even hit me once!" Helmeppo held his red cheek, a bruise was already forming. "I'm Lieutenant Morgan's son! I'll tell him about this!"

"Why don't you fight me yourself?!" Luffy glared at Helmeppo.

"Luffy, don't do this!" Coby pleaded.

"You won't learn, will you? Luffy won't give up on something he wants," Cade said.

Coby gritted his teeth. "Luffy…"

"You'll regret hitting me! You'll get a death sentence for it!" The two marines picked Helmeppo up off the ground and headed towards the marine base. "My dad will be the one who executes you!"

"It's meaningless to hit people like him." Cade held out his hat.

"I know, but it felt so good." Luffy tugged his hat on.

"He ran away?" Coby stared down the street.

"That was so cool! I was scared to death," the girl said. "You're amazing!"

"Really? I should have hit him a couple more times," Luffy said.

"Rika! Come here at once!" a woman called. Rika ran over to her. "Don't talk to strangers. You'll be executed too if you were mistake as one of their friends."

"Mom, they're good people. And so is Zoro," Rika said.

"Don't be silly! Did you sneak into the execution site again?" The woman led Rika into the building she came out of.

"No… I didn't."

"Come into the house."

"Bye." Luffy waved to the girl.

"So her name is Rika," Cade said.

"Looks like we're going to be in a lot of trouble!" Coby grabbed his head in panic. "If the lieutenant gets angry he might send marines after us!"

"We'll deal with that when the time comes. I'm going to talk to Zoro. Let's go, Cade."

"Right." Cade followed him and soon found they were standing before Zoro again.

"Yo." Luffy lifted a hand.

Zoro lifted his eyes. "You two again? I already told you I don't want to be a pirate."

"I'm Luffy. This is my sister Cade. If we loosen up the ropes, then you're going to join our crew, okay?"

"I've told you already! I'm not joining you!" Zoro growled. "I have things I need to do! Besides I'm not going to be a bad guy like a pirate!"

"What's the difference?" Luffy said. "Everyone already thinks you are a bad guy. That girl, Rika, told us what you did to that wolf."

"I don't care what they say about me. I haven't done one thing that I regretted in the past and it will be the same for the future. I won't become a pirate!" Zoro said.

"I don't care! You're going to join our crew!"

"You can't decide that for me!"

"Hey, I heard you use katana, is that right?" Luffy looked around.  
"Yes, I can use them. Hey! Don't ignore me!"

"Where is it?" Luffy looked back at Zoro.

"That bastard kid took it. It's something that I treasure the most other than my life," Zoro said.

"Oh? Treasure, huh? It must be something great! Okay! I'm going to go where this bastard kid is and get your katana back."

"What?!"

"But if you want me to return it to you, you'll have to join me. Cade, wait here for me. Keep an eye on Zoro."

"Sure."

"That's dirty! Hey! Wait!"

"Okay! I'm going!" Luffy runs in the opposite direction of the base.

"You idiot! You're going the wrong way!" Zoro snapped.

"Gum Gum Rocket!" Luffy shot by them, bringing a gust of wind with him.

"What the heck was that?!" Zoro's eyes popped open.

Cade didn't answer as the hem of her cape settled back around her ankles.

"Hey! Answer me!" Zoro snapped.

Cade tossed him a glance. "Luffy ate a devil fruit. He's a rubber man now."

"Devil fruit? You can't be serious. It's not possible. Those things aren't real."

"Yet you just saw him stretch and fly by us."

A moment of silence passed. Zoro's eyes remained on her, studying her. "Who are you people?"

Cade shrugged. "Just pirates."

"Hey!" Coby called out as he ran up to them. "Where's Luffy?"  
"Inside the base," Cade said.

"What?! He's inside the base?! What's he doing in there?!"

"Trying to get Zoro's sword." Cade turned her eyes to Coby when he reached for the ropes holding Zoro in place. "What are you doing?"

Zoro looked at the boy. "Hey, if you free me they're going to kill you."

"Yeah, I know." Coby nodded. "But you shouldn't have been arrested. I can't stand those marines. I'm going to become a real marine. Just like the way Luffy is determined to become king of the pirates."

"What?! King of the pirates?!"

"I was shocked, too." Coby nodded. "But he's serious."

"Really?" Zoro looked at Cade.

Cade parted her lips to answer him but was cut off by a gunshot. Coby's scream filled her ears. He fell to the ground. Cade looked at him before noticing marines marching towards them with their guns trained on them. She gritted her teeth. _Just great. Luffy, where are you?_ She glanced at Zoro. _Should I free Zoro now and run with him? Or should I wait for Luffy to return?_

…

_NOTICE: Due to multiple keys on my keyboard on the verge of quitting, updating will be slower than I had planned. Because of this virus lockdown I have no idea when I'll be able to get a new computer. So bare with me as I try to get chapters typed up and posted._


	13. Friends

Friends

Coby screamed as he stared at the blood on his hand. “I’ve been shot! Bleeding! I’m bleeding! I’m going to die!”

“Are you all right?” Zoro asked.

Cade knelt beside Coby and examined the wound. “He’s fine. The bullet went straight through.”

“You two should get out of here. The marines are almost here,” Zoro said.

Cade glanced over at the marines. Zoro was right. They were closing in fast, armed and ready to take them down. _Should I free him and run?_

“No! I’ve got to set you free as soon as possible!” Coby pulled himself to his feet and started pulling at the ropes holding Zoro in place.

“There’s no need to worry about me. As long as I can stand this for a month they’ll set me free. Hurry up and lea-”

“They are not going to set you free!”

“What are you talking about, Coby?” Cade asked.

“They’re not going to set him free because they’re going to kill him in three days!” Coby said.

“Don’t be stupid! That bastard promised me that if I could survive this for a whole month he’d set me free!” Zoro said.

“He never intended to keep his promise.” Coby pushed up his glasses. “That’s why Luffy punched him on your behalf. Because he was toying with you.”

“What… what did you just say?” Zoro’s eyes widened.

“The navy will never let the three of you off! Please! After I set you free, please help rescue Luffy!” Coby pleaded. “I don’t care if you to become a pirate or not. But, Luffy and Cade, they saved me! Luffy is very strong! As long as you three join forces, you all will definitely be able to escape this town!”

“You’re panicking for nothing.” Cade crossed her arms under her cloak. “He doesn’t need to be saved. And he’s not going to run away either.”

“You have to run!” Coby said.

Cade shrugged. “Not going to happen.”

“That’s enough! The three of you who have betrayed Lieutenant Morgan! Die here!” a marine shouted.

“Surround the base! Don’t let the guy with the straw hat escape!” Captain Morgan said, placing his axe hand on his shoulder. “How interesting. Are the four of you planning to cause political upheaval? Roronoa Zoro… I have known about you for a long time now. You might be well known, but do not underestimate me. Before my great strength you’re just garbage. Ready!”

The marines aimed their guns at the three.

Cade gritted her teeth and gathered water particles in front of her. _I might not be able to stop bullets completely, but at least I can slow them down so we don’t get shot._

“Fire!” Captain Morgan screamed.

Cade swirled the water. Before she could launch it outward a familiar blur of red jumped in front of them.

Luffy threw out his arms. The bullets hit his body, stretching him out.

“You!” Zoro said.

“Luffy!” Coby swayed then hit the ground.

“It’s no use!” Luffy popped out the bullets and laughed as the marines shrieked from their bullets flying back at them.

“What kind of human are you?!” Zoro asked.

“I’m the one who will become king of the pirates.” Luffy grinned before holding up three swords to the swordsman. “Look, I found some swords. Which one is yours? I couldn’t tell so I brought all of them.”

“All three of them belong to me. I use the three sword style,” Zoro said.

“Three sword style? How does a person fight with three swords when they only have two hands?” Cade mumbled.

“You know, if you resist the navy here with us will make you an outlaw. Or would you rather die here?” Luffy faced the marines.

“Are you the spawn of the devil? Never mind. There’s no way I’m going to sit here and let these wimps kill me,” Zoro said. “If they refuse to uphold their promise then I have no reason to keep mine.”

“Yes!” Luffy threw his hands in the air, the swords clattered to the ground. “We have a new crewmate!”

“Whatever. Hurry up and get these ropes off of me,” Zoro said.

Cade pulled her eyes from Luffy and Zoro to find the marines talking to each other before they advanced on them. She grabbed a rope and tugged. “Better hurry up, Luffy.”

“Dang it! This knot is so hard to untie.” Luffy tugged on the ropes.

“Who tied this thing?” Cade dug her fingernail into the ropes, but it still refused to give way. “Did they use glue or something?”

“Hey! Hurry up!” Zoro said.

“Ugh…” Coby sat up. “Did I faint? What did-ah!” He screamed. “Luffy! Zoro! Cade! Watch out! The marines are coming!”

“Oh! I got one!” Luffy said as part of the ropes fell from Zoro’s wrist.

Zoro held up his hand. “Idiot! Just give me my swords!”

“All who oppose me must die!” Morgan said.

Cade turned to the marines as they brought down their swords. A green blur rushed forward. Swords clanked against each other. The marines stalled in place. Despite the fact the marines outnumbered Zoro they couldn’t move him an inch.

“What the heck?” Morgan asked.

Coby gasped.

“Oh! So cool!” Luffy said.

“He’s fast.” Cade’s eyebrows rose when she noticed the swordsman was holding one sword in his mouth. “Guess that answers that question.”

“All of you better not move,” Zoro said from around his sword handle. “You move and I’ll kill you.”

The marines froze, tears streaking down their cheeks.

“I already told you I’d be a pirate on your crew. Though it doesn’t matter. After this conflict with the marines I’ll be an outlaw anyway. But that’s fine. I still have my own goals. I’m going to become the world’s greatest swordsman. Bad guy. Good guy. It no longer matters. As long as you don’t do anything to disrupt my goal, I won’t have to kill you.”

Cade glared at him. “You’ll have to get past me first if you try to kill Luffy.”

“It’s okay, Cade.” Luffy looked at her then at Zoro. “To be the world’s number one swordsman is a great goal. And since you want to be the king of the pirate’s crew member I expect nothing but the best for my crew. If you can’t even accomplish something that small, then I would be very embarrassed as well.”

“Heh. Well said,” Zoro said.

“What are you guys standing there for?!” Morgan screamed. “Hurry up and finish those two off!”

“Zoro, duck!” Luffy lifted his leg. With a swinging kick he knocked several marines off their feet. “Gum Gum Leg Sweeper!”

“Aqua Twister!” Cade twirled a stream of water into a small tornado. Pushing her hand out the tornado pulled up a dozen screaming marines. With a swipe of her hand the water twister vanished. The marines’ cries were cut off then they hit the ground.

“What the heck?!” a marine shouted. “Is she a devil fruit user, too?!”

“Super! Very cool!” Coby said.

“What are you people?” Zoro asked.

“I already told you that Luffy ate a devil fruit,” Cade said.

“Yup! I’m a rubber man!” Luffy pulled out his cheek.

“What about you?” Zoro looked at Cade. “Are you a devil fruit eater, too?”  
“No, I’m not. My abilities are natural. I was born with them.” Cade bit her bottom lip and thought about revealing herself for a moment. While she didn’t want to she knew she was going to have to do it at some point in the near future. They were all going to get bounties at some point. She exhaled. At least there weren’t any civilians around. She pushed her hood back. “I’m a fishman.”

“Rubber man?! And a fishman?!” a soldier shrieked.

“Lieutenant! We can’t kill these three! We’re going to die!” another soldier said.

“They’re too strong!” a third soldier chimed in. “Why is there a fishman here?!”

“A fishman?” Zoro stared wide-eyed at Cade.

“That’s right. You’re not having second thoughts about joining out crew, are you?” Cade grinned. “Luffy won’t accept that.”

“No.” Zoro blinked. “Couldn’t care less if you were a human or a fish.”

Cade’s eyebrows rose. She wasn’t expecting that.

“Listen up, men. This is an order. Whoever just said that stuff about not being able to win… get a gun and kill yourself,” Morgan said. “I don’t need useless soldiers.”

“What a creep.” Cade shook her head. “Ordering his men to die because they know when they are beaten. This guy is pathetic.”

“Now I know I like you.” Zoro grinned.

“That’s an order!” Morgan shouted.

The marines stared at their commanding officer before they lifted their guns to their heads.

“What the heck is wrong with these dumb marines? What do you think they’re doing?” Zoro asked before Luffy rushed forward.

“Stop it! I am a marine’s worst enemy! You should be pointing those weapons at me!” Luffy threw a punch at Morgan. The marine dodged. “If you have the guts then execute me!”

“Luffy! Defeat these marines!” Coby shouted.

“People like you, without status, have no right to oppose me! I am marine Lieutenant Axe-Hand-Morgan!” Morgan bellowed.

“My name is Luffy! Nice to meet you!”

Morgan swung his axe. “Die, you pathetic pirate!”

Luffy jumped into the air.

A rush of air brushed over Cade’s skin a second before the wall separating the navy buildings from the public crumbled into pieces.

“What?! The fence broke into half just like that?!” Coby said.

Cade glanced at the former wall then back to the fight. Midair, Luffy slammed his feet into Morgan’s face. Morgan hit the ground then jumped to his feet. He swung at Luffy again._ This Morgan guy is strong in his own right. But his attitude is horrid. He won’t win._

“I’m not dead yet!” Luffy dodged and spun his body, nailing Morgan on the head with a punch.

“Too… too strong!” Coby said.

“Lieutenant Morgan… can’t be kicked around like that. What’s going on?” a marine said.

“Some great marine you are… destroying Coby’s dream and goal.” Luffy grabbed Morgan’s shirt and pulled his fist back.

“Wait!” Helmeppo shouted.

“Hm?” Cade blinked when an arm circled around her neck. Tilting her head she the arm belonged to the blonde idiot Helmeppo. And he was pointing a gun at Coby’s head. “Where’d this idiot come from?”

Luffy threw his punch.

“You idiot! I told you to wait!” Helmeppo said. “If you want these two to survive then don’t move! If anyone moves, I’ll shoot!”

“Luffy, I… I don’t want to be in your way.” Coby’s voice trembled before becoming strong and determined. “I’m not afraid of death! Save Cade! Forget about me!”

“It’s fine. Cade’s not in any trouble.” Luffy grinned. “Hey, stupid moron son, Coby isn’t afraid of death. And Cade can’t be killed by someone as weak as you.”

“Hey! You idiot, I told you not to move or I’ll shoot him!” Helmeppo shrieked.

“Ouch.” Cade winced slightly from the shrilly voice in her ear. “Much you yell so close to me? You don’t have the best voice, you know.”

“What did you say, you stupid fish freak?!” Helmeppo snapped.

Heat boiled in Cade’s stomach.

“Luffy! Behind you!” Coby said.

“I am… the great marine Lieutenant!” Morgan pulled himself to his feet and lifted his axe.

“Hurry, Daddy!” Helmeppo screamed.

Cade sunk her teeth into Helmeppo’s arm. Blood trickled through her teeth. He released her. She spun and landed a kick on his head. She spat out his blood. “Gross. I better not get some horrid disease from you.” She kicked his side. His ribs gave a satisfying snap. “Watch who you call a stupid fish freak. I could snap you like a twig if I wanted.”

“Nice.” Luffy nodded.

Zoro sliced a sword at Morgan.

“Zoro!” Luffy said.

“Leave it to me, Captain,” Zoro said.

Morgan collapsed to the ground.

“The lieutenant lost!”

“Lieutenant Morgan has been defeat!”

“If you still want to arrest us, come and get us,” Zoro said.

Cade watched and waited for the marines next move.

“Yes!” The marines cheered and threw their weapons in the air.

“We’re free!”

“We are out of Morgan’s control!”

“Long live marines!”

“What’s going on? They seem to be happy that Morgan was defeated,” Luffy said.

“Well, this is unexpected,” Cade said.

“Seems everyone here hated Morgan,” Coby said.

Zoro fell to the ground.

“Zoro?” Luffy turned to the swordsman.

Cade knelt next to Zoro and pressed her fingers to his pulse. “He’s fine. Probably needs something to eat. Let’s get to a restaurant.” She pulled her hood back over her head. “Coby, will you carry his swords?”  
“Sure.” Coby nodded before gathering the swords and putting them back into their sheaths.

“Come on, Luffy.” Cade slipped one of Zoro’s arms over her shoulders as Luffy grabbed his other arm. Slowly they made their way to a nearby restaurant.

“Hey, it’s you guys!” Rika said when they entered the building. “Are you okay?”  
“We’re fine,” Luffy said. “But Zoro here could use some food. Bring us lots of meat!”

“Luffy, not so fast. We don’t have that much money.” Cade released Zoro as he sat down.

“Don’t worry about it.” A woman stepped into the room. “Rika told me what happened when she went to see Zoro. I’m her mom. Thank you for helping her. And we heard that you defeated Axe Hand Morgan.” She headed into the kitchen. “This one’s on the house.”

“Sheesh. News really travels fast around here.” Cade sat down.

Luffy took a seat beside her.

A few minutes later food was brought out and sat on the table. Spices filled the air, making all their mouths water.

Luffy grabbed the biggest piece of meat and took a large bite.

Cade filled her plate and sat at a slower pace compared to the guys.

…

“I’m full! After not eaten for nine days that really hit the spot.” Zoro patted his stomach. “Feels good to have a full stomach again.”

“Then it’s impossible for you to last a month,” Luffy said with a mouth full of food.

“You’re so scrawny. How come you can still eat more than me?” Zoro asked.

“He’s a bottomless pit.” Cade took a drink of her water.

“Sorry. Even I ate quite a lot.” Coby rubbed his head.

“Don’t worry. Keep eating. You saved our town,” Rika’s mom said.

“You’re so strong.” Rika stood beside Luffy looking star struck.

“Yep. I am strong. And I’ll get even stronger.” Luffy nodded with a grin.

“Oh, yeah, what are your plans next?” Zoro put his hands behind his head and stretched out his legs.

“We’re going to head for the Grand Line,” Luffy said.

“Oh? So I assure you two have a ship then?” Zoro asked.

“It’s right there.” Luffy pointed to the window.

Zoro got up and looked out. “You’ve got to be kidding. That’s not a ship. It’s a small boat.”

“The one we had before was smaller,” Cade said.

“What?! Why are you still saying just crazy things?!” Coby said. “Just you three? How can you enter the Grand Line?! Don’t you understand?! The world’s strongest pirates all gather there!”

“We’re going for One Piece. It won’t hurt to head that direction right now.” Zoro sat back down.

“Zoro, even you’re saying such rubbish?!” Coby looked at the swordsman.

“What are you so worried about? It’s not like you’re coming with us,” Zoro said.

“Even though I’m not going I will still worry!” Coby slapped the table with both hands and stood. “Can’t I?! Can’t I worry about you guys?! Luffy, even though we just met… we’re still friends.”

“Yep! Even though we have to part, we’ll always be friends.” Luffy nodded.

“I never had friends growing up. Every time I would be picked on. No one would ever stand up for me. But the three of you taught me to live my dream,” Coby said.

“That’s why we’re heading for the Grand Line,” Luffy said.

“Yeah.” Zoro nodded.

“Hm… that’s true.” Coby held his head. “No! No! What I mean is, you’re too reckless!”

Zoro tapped Coby with his sword handle. “First of all you’d better worry about yourself.”

“Huh? Why?” Coby asked.

“Even though you were just doing chores on a pirate ship, you’re still a small time pirate,” Zoro said. “Don’t underestimate the marines’ ability to gather information. If they know your past, they won’t let you join them at all.”

“Excuse me.” The door squeaked opened and marines walk in. The man who spoke came to the table and looked at the pirates. “We are wondering, are you really pirates?”

“Yes, I just found my third crew member. So we’re an official crew now,” Luffy said.

The marine put his hands behind his back. “Even though you are pirates the reality of the situation is that you all saved our town and base. For that we are grateful. But since you are pirates as marines we cannot allow you to stay any longer. Please leave this place immediately. As for the events that occurred here, we will be reporting it to the headquarters.”

“Hey! Marines! What kind of crap is that?!” a citizen said from the open door.

“Are you kidding me?! Or have you all gone nuts?!” another said.

“They are this town’s saviors!” a third added.

“Hm, well then… Let’s go.” Luffy stood. “Thanks for the food.”

“Luffy…” Coby said.

“Are you really leaving?” Rika asked.

“We’ve been here long enough,” Cade said.

The three pirates walked by Coby without saying a word.

“Aren’t you with their group?” the marine asked.

“Eh! I… I…I’m not with them!” Coby said.

“Please, hold on,” the marine said. “Is he telling the truth?”

Cade paused at the same time Luffy did. From under her hood she watched him, wondering how he would handle this situation. Luffy then turned and walked back to Coby.

“I know what this guy used to do.” Luffy pointed at Coby. “I can’t remember where, but he used to be with this fat female pirate. I think her name was Alvida.”

“Stop! Don’t say anymore!” Coby said.

“It was a fat and ugly female pirate, this guy spend two years there.” Luffy poked Coby on the temple.

“Shut up!” Coby punched Luffy.

“You! You’re going to regret that!” Luffy punched back then punched several more times.

Cade huffed. _You didn’t have to go that far, Luffy._

“Both of you stop it! I won’t allow this town to get in any more fights!” the marine said.

“Hey, you went overboard.” Zoro grabbed Luffy’s collar and pulled him towards the door. “Stop it.”

“It’s clear that this guy isn’t with you pirates. Please leave this town immediately!” the marine pointed to the door.

“Don’t worry. We’re gone.” Cade waved carelessly.

The pirates stepped out into the sun. Several more marines and citizens had gathered in front of the restaurant to take in the spectacle. Cade pulled her hood farther over her face.

“Come on. Didn’t you want to arrest me?” Zoro said.

Cade glanced back at the swordsman. He wore a taunting grin that was aimed at the marines.

“Nice act, by the way.” Zoro shoved his hands into his pockets. “What you did back there for Coby. They won’t question his loyalty now.”

“I believe Coby will become a stronger and more independent in the future,” Luffy said.

“I have my doubts,” Cade said. “But I suppose he could if someone like your grandpa trained him. Geez. That old man has no mercy.”

“Yeah.” Luffy shivered.

“Reminisce later. We need to go now before anything else happens. Those marines said they’d let us go but they’re still marines. They could change their minds,” Zoro said.

“Relax. We’ve arrive,” Cade said as they reached the docks.

“That’s what I’m saying.” Luffy tugged on the rope that moored the boat to the dock.

Cade stepped into the boat. The sway of the waves called for her. She would have to go for a swim soon.

“Luffy!” Coby called.

“Coby?” Luffy turned around. Their friend along with the marines stood before them.

Coby saluted. “Thank you very much! I will never forget you for the rest of my life!”

“I’ve never seen a marine saluting pirates before,” Zoro said.

“I guess there really is a first time for everything,” Cade said.

“Coby! We’ll meet again someday!” Luffy waved.

“Group salute!” The marines saluted.

“They’re so weird.” Cade watched the marines with mild interest.

Zoro and Luffy crawled into the boat.

With a shove from her foot, Cade pushed them away from the docks.

“Yahoo!” Luffy cheered. “We’re off! Grand Line! Here we come!”

…

**Author’s Note: Welp, I’m still here. Finally got a new computer. I’ve been working on getting everything transfer to it. Such a long and tedious pain. But has to be done. Shouldn’t be much longer now until I get writing again.**


	14. Clown of the Sea

Clown of the Sea

Cade continued to watch Zoro. For two days they had been sailing together. She hadn't said much to the man. Luffy did most of the talking when he and Zoro were awake. But at the moment Luffy was sleeping. Only she and Zoro remained awake. Part of her wished the no talking would remain. But she knew that couldn't happen. Every time she would think about keeping silence Shanks words came back to her. She had to get to know this new crewmember of theirs.

With a deep breath she scanned her brain for something to talk about. Her eyes then landed on his swords. She licked her lips. "So… swords, huh?"

"Yup." Zoro leaned back against the ship, hands behind his head.

"Been doing it for long?"  
"Since I was a kid."

Cade scanned the orange and red streaked horizon. She shifted. Why was talking to this man so difficult? She had no problem back on that island.

"You have trouble speaking to people, don't you?" Zoro asked.

"So what if I do?!" Cade snapped.

Zoro laughed.

"What's so funny?!"

"You. You're completely different from him." Zoro nodded to Luffy.

"Of course we're different! Despite being siblings we're not related by blood!"

"I figured that. So how long have you two been together?"

Cade shifted. "Ten years."

"No wonder you're so relaxed around him."

"Yeah." Cade nodded. "I'm use to his antics." A pause. With Luffy being a safe ground of talking she felt more relaxed to ask him what she really wanted to. "So… why the world's greatest swordsman? You seem powerful enough to me."

"No." Zoro lifted his eyes to the sky. "I'm no where near strong enough. I won't be until I beat a certain man."

"And that would be?"

"Hawkeye Mihawk. At the moment he's the best swordsman in the world." Zoro grinned. "But once I face him that title will be mine. As for why I'm aiming for being the greatest… it was a promise I made to a friend. She also wanted to be the best. But because she was a girl she believed it was impossible. After she beat me with real swords we made a promise that one day one of us will be the best." His grin faded into sorrow. "One day she slipped in the rain and hit her head. She didn't make it. I asked her dad to give me this sword." He touched the sword in the white sheath. "He did. For a few more years I trained at her dad's compound before setting out to sea."

Cade's eyebrows rose. She hadn't expected a man with such an intimidating presence to keep a promise he made to a girl from his childhood.

"So what about you? Not many fishman around the East Blue."

Cade turned her eyes away from him and watched the last few rays of the day fade.

"Hey, I told you about my past. It's only fair you tell me about yours."

"I use to live with my mom and brother on a small island. Only a few humans lived there too. They were okay. For the most part we were happy. But pirates attacked one day. They wanted to sell us fishmen into slavery. My mom was able to free me from my explosive collar and throw me overboard. But she was unable to free my brother and she was killed." Cade wrapped her arms around her stomach. "My brother is out there somewhere, being a slave for some horrid human who thinks slavery is fine. He was only a baby. Three years younger than me." She gritted her teeth. "I can't stand the idea of him being a slave. Facing who knows what kind of horrors only because he's a fishman."

"I see. So that's why you have a hard time with humans. You don't care much for them."

"Humans have treated my kind very badly." Cade nodded. "I'm trying to get better at it though." Her eyes fell to Luffy. "I know some humans are okay. I just haven't met many of them."

"Well, with this bonehead around I'm sure you'll meet plenty of people." Zoro tapped Luffy's head with his boot.

Cade smiled. Zoro was right. Luffy was far more friendly with people than she was. She was certain they were going to meet a lot of people while sailing. A yawn worked its way from her mouth.

"You should get some sleep. You've spent most of the time keeping watch since we've set sail," Zoro said.

"I'm fine."

"Don't be stupid. Sleep. You need to be at your best while sailing. Besides it's night. We shouldn't have any problems."

"Fine." Cade lay down beside Luffy and closed her eyes, falling into a peaceful sleep. But it didn't last. Her dreamless sleep was interrupted by a nightmare. The pirates who had killed her mother appeared. They dangled her brother in front of her before pulling him out of her reach. She cried for them to give him back. Then her mother appeared. Cade ran for her, hoping to reach her, to save her, but it was in vain. A bullet passed through her mother's chest. She snapped awake. Her body dripped in a cold sweat. "No! Mom!"

Warm arms wrapped around her, pushing away the cold. "It's okay, Cade. I'm right here."

"L-Luffy." Cade clung to him, breathing in his scent. Her nightmare slowly faded with each breath.

"She okay?" Zoro asked.

"She'll be fine in a moment." Luffy rubbed her back. "This happens occasionally."

Several minutes passed before she pulled away from him.

"Feeling better now?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah." Cade nodded. "Thanks." Luffy's eyes remained on her. She smiled. "Really, Luffy, I'm okay. You know I feel better after we sit together for a while."

Luffy nodded slowly.

…

"I'm so hungry!"

"It's funny that you two have zero navigational skills," Zoro said.

"Why? I like to wander," Luffy said. "Life's way more fun that way."

"I can vouch for that," Cade said, toes dangling in the water.

"You're like me, too, wandering and capturing pirates for rewards," Luffy said.

"I don't remember saying that I live completely off rewards. Or that I'm a pirate hunter." Zoro placed his hands behind his head. "I was searching for a man. That's why I've been at sea. But now I can't find my way home. I had no choice but to start hunting pirates for a living, just to get a little bit for living expenses."

"Oh, so you're lost," Luffy said.

"Shut up! You are the one who's lost!" Zoro snapped. "Geez. Never heard of pirates who don't know how to navigate. How do you expect to go to the Grand Line like this? You should hurry and find a crewmate who knows how to navigate."

"And someone who knows how to cook, and someone for singing…" Luffy ticked off his list on his fingers.

"Idiot! What are you going on about?!" Zoro snapped.

"So hungry! Cade, get us some food!" Luffy falls onto his back and so does Zoro. "Oh! A bird!" He sits up. "Wait, Cade! Let's eat that bird instead!"

"How are you going to eat it?" Zoro asked. "It's not like we have a kitchen."

"I'll go get it! Watch my specialty! Gum Gum…" Luffy grabbed the mast. "Rocket."

"Hold on, Luffy!" Cade reached out for him. But it was too late. Luffy's vest pulled away from her fingers before she could grab him.

"Can't believe he thought of that." Zoro shades his eyes with his hand. Luffy screamed. "Huh?"

"Help!" Luffy said.

"You idiot!" Zoro grabbed the ores. "What the heck are you doing?!"

Cade shook her head. "You're not going to be able to catch up with that bird."

"Then what do you suggest?!" Sweat beaded on Zoro's skin.

"I can swim faster than you can row. So keep going. When I find where the bird lands I'll come back and get you." Cade stood.

"Can you do that?" Zoro asked.

Cade nodded then dove into the water. Following the bird's shadow overhead while keeping a close eye on the ocean landscape, she came to an island. Breaking the surface she heard a shot echoing through the air then saw Luffy's body falling towards the island. She exhaled. "Well, at least he landed on an island instead of the water." Ducking back down she headed back to the boat. Her eyebrows shot up when she grabbed the side of the boat and saw three extra people, covered in bruises, inside. "What…who are they?"  
"Just some guys that happened to be in the way," Zoro said.

"I see." Cade hauled herself into the boat then told the men, who were rowing, where to go. She listened as Zoro filled her in on how he found these three in the water then they tried to take their boat. "That accounts for the bruises."

"Did you find where Luffy went?" Zoro asked.

"Someone shot down the bird that was carrying Luffy. He landed on an island not far from here." Cade pointed the way she had come. "Keep going this way. We'll be there soon."

"You heard the lady," Zoro said.

"Yes, sir!" The three pirates rowed harder.

Cade carefully watched the three men. They said nothing about her being a fishman. It made her wonder if they'd seen fishmen before or if they didn't care about her being one.

A while later they reached the island.

"We're here, Master Zoro."

They climbed out of the boat. Cade started to pull her hood over her head, but stopped when she noticed no one was around.

"What's this? The village is empty? There's no one around here at all," Zoro said.

"Yes. The truth is our Buggy Pirate fleet is here at the moment, raiding this village."

"What do we do? What can we say to Captain Buggy? We got nothing now."

"We'll just have to tell him the truth. We've no other choice, since that witch will be out somewhere on the sea by now."

"So another pirate crew is here," Cade said.

"We better meet that Buggy guy then. Because we might be able to hear some information about Luffy." Zoro touches his sword's hilt.

A blast ricocheted through the town. Nearby windows rattled in anger before settling. Cade exchanged a look with Zoro before they headed into the town. She glanced back to find the three pirates weren't following them. "Should we force them to come with us?"

"Let them do what they want."

Cade scanned the buildings as they made their way through town. It was bigger than the town she and Luffy use to live in but it still had that small town charm to it. And from the looks of the still clear windows it appeared the villagers abandoned this village not too long ago. A few minutes later the quiet town was filled with muffled voices and music. The two pirates came to stop in front of a pub. "Looks like they're up on the roof. Shall we?"

"Yes. Let's say hello." Zoro bent his knees.

Cade followed his posture. Together they jumped to the roof. His boots thumped against the rooftop. She scanned the area and the pirates. Luffy was sitting in cage. A few pirates were lunging at an orange hair girl holding onto a cannon wick. Before she could make a move of any kind, Zoro rushed forward and slammed his swords, still sheathed, into the pirates' faces.

"Seriously? All of you are going to gang up on one girl?" Zoro scoffed.

"Cade! Zoro!" Luffy smiled.

Cade rushed over to him.

"You found me," Luffy said.

"Of course I did." Cade studied the cage. It was made of thick concrete and the bars were iron.

"Get me out of this thing," Luffy said.

"Hey! Is this your idea of a fun time? You get caught by a bird and got carried off. And now when we finally find you, you're in a cage? Stupid." Zoro laid a sword over his shoulder.

"Hey, that guy… Z-Zoro? Did he say his name was Zoro?"

Cade looked at the pirates when they started talking about the swordsman.

"The pirate hunter Zoro? Why is he talking with a thief?"

"The crewmember that guy was talking about was the pirate hunter Zoro? I don't understand," the orange haired girl said.

"Typical for you humans," Cade mumbled as she studied the girl. It was clear she wasn't with these pirates. And the hatred in the girl's eyes was also clear. "Luffy, who's that girl?"

"That's Nami. She's our navigator."

"I am not!" Nami snapped.

"You're definitely Zoro. Are you aiming for my head?"

Cade pulled her eyes away from Nami. A man with a clown nose was walking towards Zoro. He stopped when he was shoulder to shoulder with the swordsman. Going by the hat on his head she assume this was the Captain Buggy those three pirates Zoro picked up on the water.

"No, I have no interest in that. I'm not longer a pirate hunter because I have quit," Zoro said.

"But I have some interest. If I kill you, my name will become more famous." Buggy spins a dagger.

"If you don't want to die, then leave me alone" Zoro said.

"Oh! Kill him, Captain! Send Zoro off!" a pirate cheered.

"If you don't show your true skills now, you'll soon be covered in blood!" Buggy rushed forward.

"Fine, if that's what you want." Zoro unsheathes his swords and sliced Buggy. The opposing captain fell to pieces and littered the ground.

"Huh? That guy's so weak?!" Luffy said.

"No way." Cade stared at the divided body. Something was missing. And that something was blood. Then the pirates started chuckling. That's when she knew something was wrong. People don't chuckle when someone they don't had been sliced into pieces.

"Hey, Zoro! Cade! Get me out of this stupid cage!" Luffy said.

"Okay." Zoro walked over and placed a hand on the stone cage. "This thing won't open without a key. Doesn't look like I can slice these bars either. They're made of iron."

"That's fine." Luffy looked from Zoro to his sister. "Cade, can you do something?"  
"I might be able to break through the stone," Cade said. "But I doubt we have time. Something's up with these pirates."

The pirates start laughing louder.

"What so funny?" Zoro asked.

"They're pretty weird," Luffy said.

A dagger sinks into Zoro's lower left stomach. Iron saturates the air.

"Zoro!" Luffy said.

Cade lifted her fists. Buggy's hand, holding a dagger, pulled away from Zoro.

"What? That hand!" Nami said.

"Blast it! What is this?!" Zoro stumbles. "The hand… it's floating in the air."

"The chop chop devil fruit." Buggy's body parts reassemble before their eyes. "That's the name of my devil fruit! No matter how you try to slice me up, you can't because I'm a sectioned man!"

"He… he stuck his body back together! I thought devil fruits were only a myth!" Nami said.

"A section man? That guy's a monster!" Luffy said.

"Says one who's made of rubber," Cade said then gritted her teeth. "I should have known it was a devil fruit. He didn't bleed one bit when Zoro cut him. So stupid."

"I see I've missed your vital body parts, Roronoa Zoro." Buggy grinned. "But it's still a pretty serious injury. It was an okay victory."

"Yeah! The captain is so cool!"

"Go kill him off! Send 'em away!"

"Stabbing from the back, that's dirty! You big nose!" Luffy screamed.

The pirates gasped, their faces contorted in shock.

"That idiot! He couldn't have said anything but that!" Nami said.

"Who are you calling a big nose?!" Rage washed over Buggy's face. His dagger armed hand shot out at Luffy.

Cade shot out a stream of water, knocking the dagger and hand away.

"I swear I'm going to take you down!" Luffy shouted.

"Oh? Take me down?" Buggy laughed as his hand flew back to him and reattached to his wrist. "Take me down?! You're hilarious! You four are going to die right now on the spot!"

"Everything's finished. We're dead." Nami grabbed her head, fear pooled in her eyes.

"So, you have the will to die, Straw Hat?" Buggy spread his hands wide. "And just exactly how do you plan taking me down in this situation?! Boys! Laugh at him!"

"Zoro! Cade! Run away!" Luffy shouted.

"What?!" Zoro said.

"Hey, your friends came to recuse you, but you're telling them to run away?" Nami asked.

"Okay." Zoro huffed.

"Stupid idiot! You think I'm going to let you go?! Chop Chop Cannon!" Buggy's hands and daggers shot towards them.

Zoro clashed with the daggers.

"Hey! Zoro's running away!"

"You think you can escape from Captain Buggy?!"

Zoro flipped the cannon backwards so it pointed at the pirates.

"He pointed the cannon in our direction!" The pirates ran.

"That thing still has a special Buggy cannon ball inside of it!" Buggy said.

"Hey! I need a light!" Zoro said.

"Eh?" Nami flinches.

"Hurry!"

"Uh, right!" Nami fumbled with a matchbox.

"Stop it!"

"Duck!"

"This is a good time to go. Who are you anyway?" Zoro knelt beside Luffy's cage.

"I'm a thief," Nami said.

"That girl is out navigator." Luffy grinned.

Cade cocked an eyebrow.

"You're an idiot, aren't you?! You're still going on about that?! If you've got time to say things like that then how about thinking of a way to get out of that cage?!" Nami screams.

"No, it's okay. You stay in the cage," Zoro said. He lifted the cage onto his shoulder.

"Hey, Zoro, it's okay! Your stomach is going to pop out if you carry me like this," Luffy said.

"Don't tell me what to do. I'll do it my way," Zoro said. "If it wants to pop out, then let it!"

"You should let me carry that," Cade said.

"We don't have time!" Zoro bolted.

Cade followed him as they rushed across the rooftops. Two buildings over Zoro placed the cage down and pressed a hand to his wound. They could still hear the Buggy pirate chaotic chatter. Which meant they couldn't stay here long.

"Darn it! If this cage would just open! Open!" Luffy pulled at the bars.

"We're in a dangerous situation here. But what's been started must be finished, I suppose," Zoro said. "We're far enough away from the pub. They shouldn't be able to catch up with us immediately now."

"Maybe so. But we can't stay here." Cade grabbed the cage. "Let's go."

They jump from the roof and head down the street away from the pub.

"Our escape was done okay, but this cage is starting to annoy me." Zoro eyed the thing. "If only I could cut those bars."

"Yeah. If this thing doesn't open then even though all those bad guy come I can't even attempt to fight them." Luffy chewed on the bars.

"Luffy, stop that. You're going to break your teeth," Cade said.

"This is it…" Zoro fell to the ground. "I don't have enough blood. I can't walk any longer."

"Guess this is a good a place as any to stop." Cade sat the cage down.

"Eh? What's with this dog?" Zoro asked.

Cade looked to find a white dog sitting in front of a building.

"Dog? Hey, it is a dog," Luffy said. "What is this? Is it a really a dog? Hey look, Zoro, it's not moving at all."

Zoro shifted his position so he could lean against a porch post. "What is does it up to the dog. Right now you've got to think of a way to get out of that cage."

"I wonder if it's dead." Luffy pokes the dog between the eyes. The dog chomped down on his face. "You stupid dog! What do you think you're doing?!"

"You idiot! Do you even know the seriousness of the situation here?!" Zoro snapped.

Both guys fall on their backs. "Stupid dog."

"Ugh. I lost way too much blood."

Cade shook her head. "You two are hopeless. Well, I should check your-"

"You three, what on earth are you guys doing? If you're just going to lie around herein the middle of the street Buggy will definitely find you."

Cade turned to find the girl from before walking towards them.

"Hey, it's our navigator," Luffy said.

"Says who?! I just came to repay my debt to you, because you saved my life back there," Nami said.

"Repay?"

Nami tossed a key on the ground next to the cage.

"The key! You stole the cage key!" Luffy said.

"Yeah. Even if I think so myself it was a really dumb thing to do. Because of that I couldn't steal any of the treasures," Nami said.

Luffy laughed. "The cage was such a problem I thought we we're going to die from the headache it gave us."

"Making such a difficult escape's reward is finally shining through," Zoro said.

Luffy reached for the key. Before he could touch it the dog gulped it down. Luffy grabbed the dog by his neck and shook him. "You stupid dog! Spit it out! That thing you swallowed isn't food!"

"Well… this is a problem," Cade said.

"Hey! You people! Stop harassing Shushu!" A curly haired man with glasses, dressed in flimsy homemade body armor, and carrying a spear marched towards them.

"Shushu?" Luffy asked.

"Who're you, old man?" Zoro asked.

"I'm the village's leader. In other words, the mayor." The man stomped up to them. His aggression faltered when he saw Zoro's clothes covered in blood. "Goodness. Are you all right, young man?"  
"Yes," Zoro said.

"You are not!" Nami snapped.

Cade knelt down beside the swordsman. "I need to sew this up. It's bleeding too much."

"Are you a doctor?" the mayor asked.

"No, but I know enough first aid to handle this."

"Let's take him into my house then." The mayor knelt next to Zoro. He grabbed Zoro's arm and hosted him onto his shoulders. "Come on you."

Cade took Zoro's other arm. Together they meandered down the road to a house a couple buildings over. They passed through the living room and into a bedroom at the back of the house. The door squeaked when the major kicked it open. They laid him on the bed.

"Do you need anything, miss?"

"No." Cade pulled out her first aid kit. "I have all I need right here."

"Then I'll leave you to it. If you need towels you can find some in the bathroom."

"Thanks."

The old man left without another word.

"Expose your skin." Cade placed a thread and needle into a cap of alcohol. While it disinfected she went to the bathroom for a couple towels and a pan of water. Returning to the bedroom she started wiping away the blood. Once his skin was clean enough she grabbed her needled and thread. "This might hurt."

"I doubt that." Zoro smirked and closed his eyes. "Just do it."

Cade rolled her eyes. Putting the needle to his skin she started stitching him back together. Much to her surprise Zoro didn't even flinch as the needle poked in and out of his flesh. _What's with this guy? I know he can experience pain. Maybe he's like Luffy. An idiot._ She pulled her eyes from her work and looked at his face. He was watching at her.

"So, Miss First Mate," Zoro called. "Are you still unsure of me?"

"Yes." Silence fell between them. Her eyes were locked onto the needle. His skin pulled with each stitch she put in. Feeling his eyes on her, she flicked him a glance before looking back at her work. "But you have proved, a little, that you can be trusted. If you wanted to run from all of this then you had your chance. Instead you picked up Luffy and that heavy cage while wounded."

"Good enough for me." Zoro closed his eyes. Barely a second passed before his snores filled the silence.

Cade paused to watch him sleep for a moment. The corners of her lips twitched. This guy was definitely an idiot. And perfect for their crew.


	15. Dog & Lion

Dog & Lion

Cade was about finished cleaning up the small mess she had made tending to Zoro's wound when she heard a loud crash coming from outside. Dropping the towel in the sink she ran outside and back to the building where she had left Luffy. There she found a massive lion swiping his paw at the small dog from before. A painful yip ripped through the air. Cade rushed forward. The lion lifted its paw again. "Water Twister!" Throwing out her hand Cade blocked the lion's paw before it could draw more blood from the little dog. She noticed a man sitting on the lion's back. "I take it you're the lion's owner."

"Yes. Richie is with me." The man grinned. "And I am Mohji. Beast Tamer of the Buggy pirates."

Cade carefully eyed the man. He didn't look all the powerful, though it could have been because of the bear ears he was wearing. With the silly outfit she didn't deny he belonged to the Buggy pirates. "Fine. Then take your lion and get lost."

"Afraid that can't happen." The man's grin grew wider. "I have a mission here."

Without warning a bright flash shot passed Cade. Heat rose up on her back. Wood crackled and snapped as the building behind her was engulfed in flames.

The dog howled. The pain in his cry made Cade realize the building was something important to the dog. Though she had no idea why a building would be special to a creature like a dog. But now it didn't matter.

"You jerk!" Cade spat at the man and his lion. She wanted to rip them apart, but decided the store was more important. Lifting her hands she clawed the air, pulling a wave of water over her shoulder. Liquid poured over the house. Black smoke rose from the drowning flames. Her fingers curled into fists. The weakened frame of the storefront crumbled under the remaining weight. The back had been spared from total destruction, but it would take a lot to rebuild the whole thing. Tapping of familiar sandals pulled her attention from the smoking rubble. "Luffy, where were you? I came outside to find you gone and a lion with a man riding him attacking this dog."

"Is that so?" A shadow crossed Luffy's face.

"What happened?"  
"That store was the dog's, Shushu, treasure. His master, his friend, owned that store. He got sick and didn't come back. Shushu has been watching it ever since."

"Oh." That was all Cade needed to know about the situation. It was obvious what her brother was going to do next.

"Where did he go?"  
"That way." Cade nodded down the road.

"Let's go." Luffy lifted his chin. His eyes glinted with danger. "This guy is mine."

"Right." Cade walked with Luffy down the deserted road until they found who they were looking for.

The man and the lion turned to face them. "You! Didn't I just kill you a moment ago?"

"I can't die that easily because I'm a rubber man," Luffy said.

"Rubber man? I can understand that you may have incredibly good luck but I think you got hurt a little in the head," Mohji said. "Hearing you say those words, it's so ridiculous. Coming within my sight again was a dumb thing to do! This time I'll send you to the netherworld!"

The lion aimed a roar at them.

Luffy twisted his arms together. "You think that a lion can actually kill me?" He shot out his hands and grabs the lion's face. With a small lift the lion twisted as Luffy's arms untwisted. He slammed the lion into the ground. "Gum Gum Hammer!"

Mohji's eyes widened. "Richie! You… what are you?!"

"Did you seriously just ask that? He told you he was a rubber man." Cade rolled her eyes and spoke as if she were speaking to a child. "And that means he ate the gum gum devil fruit. You know? The strange devil fruits some people have eaten? They get special powers from them."

"Shut up!" Mohji snapped. "I know what a devil fruit is! Captain Buggy ate one!"

Cade gave him an innocent smile. "Well, you're the one who asked. Next time don't ask if you already know."

"Shut up already, you stupid fi-!" A punch to the face cut him off. Mohji's body shot backwards, a bloody tooth flying through the air, and hit the ground three times before rolling to a stop.

"Don't tell my sister what to do!" Luffy cut the man a death glare.

"Right!" Mohji threw his hands up in surrender. "I'll give you everything you want! And I'll apologize! Sorry!"

"I don't need an apology because it won't bring back Shushu's treasure. And you… I came to get payback from you!" Luffy shot out his hand and grabbed Mohji's shirt.

"Ack! It stretched again!"

"Have a taste of your own medicine!"

"H-hey! Stop it! P-please! I beg you! Stop!"

"Too late, pal. You've don't ticked my brother off." Cade crossed her arms. "Remember this the next time you want to pick on someone with our crew around."

Luffy punched Mohji unconscious. Dusting himself off he walked over to Cade. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Cade nodded.

"Good." Luffy smiled then walked over to the lion.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting this." Luffy held up a crumpled dog food box.

Cade's eyebrows rose. She didn't even notice the lion had that. When Luffy joined her side they walked back to the burnt out store. As they got closer they could see the old man and Nami standing in front of the door.

Nami turned to them when she noticed they were there. "Oh, pirates, you're still alive, huh?! I though that lion would have killed you both off by now. A shame it didn't."

"Hey, what are you saying," the mayor said.

"Before you get your pirate pals over to raid this village why don't you go to hell?!" Nami lunged at them.

The old man grabbed her under the arms to hold her back. "Stop it, young lady!

"You think that you can hurt me?" Luffy sticks out his tongue.

"What?! Okay! You want to fight me! Stupid pirate!" Nami gnashed her teeth.

"The only one stupid here is you," Cade said.

"What was that?!" Nami glared at her.

"You want to fight Luffy. You wouldn't stand a chance." Cade waved her hand. "Now stop being a brat."

"You…" Nami's face flushed with pure hatred.

Cade forced back a flinch. The hate in the girl's eyes was pure hate for fishmen. _What's this girl's deal with fishmen?_

"Will you three stop it?! Why are you all acting like this?! Stop fighting!" The old man continued to pull Nami backwards.

Cade turned from her as Luffy walked towards Shushu. The dog was sitting in front of the store, staring at it. Her heart sank a little for the dog.

Luffy placed the dog food box in front of the dog then sat down. "That's the only one that I could bring back. The rest was eaten up if you can believe me. It was admirable of you to fight against the lion. You fought well. Well, I couldn't see it, but I know basically what has happened."

Shushu picked up the food and walked away. Then he paused and looked back at Luffy. He barked before walking on.

"Yeah! You be strong too!" Luffy smiled.

Cade snuck a glance at Nami. The girl had calmed down. It appeared Nami had finally understood that their pirate crew meant no harm here.

Nami walked over to Luffy. "Sorry for screaming at you."

"It's okay. You lost someone important because of pirates."

Cade looked at her brother as another piece of the Nami puzzle fell into place. _Did pirates kill someone she knew? Or were they taken to be sold as a slave? I wonder if these pirates she knows are fishmen. Or are the pirates and fishmen unrelated?_

Luffy stood and brushes off his shorts. "You've been through a lot, haven't you? You don't need to say anything."

"I can't stand it anymore!" The mayor throws his fists into the air.

"What?" Nami asked.

Cade turned to the man as the rest of them did. Anger and frustration flooded the man's face.

"It's just so miserable, so miserable! Shushu and you youngsters are fighting so hard against these pirates! But why is it that I, the mayor of this village, can only watch our home being trampled!" The man clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"Wait! Calm down, Mayor!" Nami held up her hands as if it would stop the man from doing something stupid.

Determination replaced the old man's frustration and anger. His eyes drew to Luffy. "To a real man, there are some fights that cannot be avoided! Isn't that right, kid?!"

"That's right, old man." Luffy grinned.

"Don't encourage him!" Nami snapped.

"Forty years ago!" the man said. "This place was nothing more than barren wasteland. Yet we took that land and built up everything. It was a fresh start. At first it was tiny, and merely had a few small houses. But the population of villages increased little by little as ships came and went from this island. And we build more houses and stores and tried our very best to flourish. This place has now grown into a successful harbor village. This village was made by the old people. It's a village we made! This village and the villagers are _my_ treasure! What kind of mayor doesn't protect his own village! I'm going to fight!"

A sharp whistle cut through the air before a blast of wind knocked them all off their feet. Dust kicked up in Cade's mouth. She spit it out while waving the still airborne dust away from her face.

"My house!" the mayor screamed.

Cade's eyes shot to the house she had left Zoro in. It was completely destroyed, crumbled into a broken pile of boards.

"Zoro was still in there!" Luffy said.

"Is he dead?! The kid with the waist band?" the mayor asked.

"Hey, Zoro! Are you still alive?!" Luffy called out.

Boards shuffled and clanked together as they fell. Zoro popped up from the rubble holding his head. "Yeah. That was not a good way to wake me up."

"What a relief! You're alive!" Luffy said.

"I should say so. But it wasn't us who woke you up." Cade looked around the village. "I think it was a cannonball."

"And just how did you survive that?" Nami gaped at the swordsman. "You should be dead!"

"It feels as though my chest is being scraped out!" The mayor held his chest. "Do you think I'll allow pirates to trample all over us again?! That stupid pirate captain! Buggy! He has absolutely no right to trample over our forty years of hard work! I am the mayor here! I won't leave and let this village be treated this way." Mayor marched forward towards the pub the Buggy pirates should still be at. "All right, I'm going to fight!"

Nami grabbed him. "Wait a minute, Mayor!"

"Let go of me, kid!" The mayor tried to march forward.

Nami held fast. "Those pirates are dangerous! So what's the point in going?! This is too reckless! Do you want to get killed?!"

"I know it's reckless! You just wait! Buggy the Clown! I'm coming for you!" Tears gathered at the corner of the mayor's eyes. He broke free of Nami's grip and ran towards the pub.

Cade drew in a deep breath and released it. That old man would get himself killed, if this were any other normal day. But it wasn't.

"The mayor was crying," Nami said.

"Oh really? I didn't see anything." Luffy adjusted his hat with a grin.

"For some reason this is starting to feel more fun," Zoro said with a grin of his own.

"I agree." Luffy laughed.

Cade nodded.

"How can you still laugh?!" Nami demanded.

"Don't worry. I like that old man. I'm not going to let him die," Luffy said.

"Even if that's true how can you still laugh in this kind of situation?! Where does your confidence come from?" Nami asked.

"Our destination is the Grand Line," Luffy said. "Now we're going to go steal that map again!" He holds up a hand to Nami. "Will you join us? You need the map, too, don't you? And the treasure-"

"I'm not going to become a pirate." Nami slapped his hand. "Rather than partners let's say we're cooperation for now. Helping each other to achieve our goals."

Zoro stood up.

"You're going, too?! What about your injury?!" Nami asked.

"It's all healed."

"Yeah right!"

"It's healed enough," Cade said.

"Like you would know!" Nami snapped.

"Clearly I know more than you." Cade smirked.

Nami fumed and turned away.

"More important than the injury done to my body, is the injury my name will suffer because all I did in my last fight was get hurt." Zoro tugged his bandana off his arm and wrapped it around his head. "Shall we go now?"

"Yeah, let's go." Luffy cracks his knuckles.

Cade rolled her shoulders. "I'm ready."

"I'm dumbfounded." Nami held her head in her hand.


	16. Buggy Defeated

Buggy Defeated

Reaching the pub they see Buggy holding mayor by the throat. Luffy rushes forward and pulled Buggy's hand off the mayor. "I've kept my promise. I've come to beat you."

"So you've come without a single trace of fear by your own will." Buggy reattached his hand. "You morons. You're all so dead!"

"Listen, I don't care whether you fight or not, you guys do as you wish. I'm only here for the map and the treasure," Nami said.

"Yeah, I know," Zoro said.

"All of you, what did you come back for? You four just stay out of this. This is my war." The mayor's legs wobbled as he tried to stand up.

Luffy shoved the mayor's face into a wall.

"What?!" Nami gasps. "You… you idiot! What the heck was that for?! Why did you do that to the mayor?!"

"Because he would just get in the way." Luffy faced Buggy with a grin.

"That was smart thinking. If you had left him alone, without a doubt, he would have charged in recklessly. It's safer for him to be unconscious," Zoro said.

"Don't do anything unnecessary!" Nami said.

"Shut up," Cade said. "It was necessary. The old man would have gotten himself killed. Luffy only hit him hard enough to knock him out. The worst he'll have is a headache."

"Hey you, huge, red, ugly big nose!" Luffy shouted.

The pirates gasped in horror.

"Fire the Buggy special cannonball! Fire!" Rage flooded Buggy's face. "Be gone!"

A cannon ball exploded.

Nami dove out of the way. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?! You idiot!"

"Luffy! Dodge it!" Zoro said.

"Do you think just because of a cannonball I'd move a single inch?" Luffy drew in a breath, extending his stomach. "Gum Gum Balloon!" The cannonball sunk into his stomach and he throws it back. The building crumbled.

"Could have said something sooner," Zoro said.

"You saw him getting shot with bullets. Cannon balls aren't that different. Just bigger," Cade said.

"That's true. I guess," Zoro said.

"Yay! Their number has decreased! Shall we start?" Luffy adjusted his hat.

"What the heck are you?!" Nami said.

"So much for blowing us up," Zoro said.

"Explain yourself! I don't understand this at all! From the moment you fought with the lion and came back alive!" Nami said. "This isn't humanly possible! How did you swell up like a balloon like that?!"

"Gum Gum Balloon." Luffy crossed his arm.

"I'm not asking for the name!"

Buggy's laughter pulls their attention. The dust clears, showing he used his men as shields. And a man with long black hair, partly shaven, used Richie as a shield. "You're chatting around making a lot of noise, like you're not scared."

"This is the biggest humiliation we've ever received under our pirate flag, Captain," the black haired guy said.

"I'm so mad, words fail me," Buggy said.

Behind them Mohji crawled out of the debris. "I was unconscious. What is this mess?"

"Mohji, so you're still alive," black hair said.

"Cabaji, what did you do to Richie?!"

"Ah, this kitten? I was afraid my clothes might get a little dirty. So I used him as a shield." Cabaji released Richie.

"Hey, Richie, you okay?" Mohji noticed the Straw Hats. "The kid in the straw hat! Captain Buggy, be careful of that kid! He's the one who has gained power from the devil fruit. He's a rubber man."

"Rubberman?" Nami looked at Luffy.

"Yeah, wanna see?" Luffy pulled his cheeks.

"Devil fruit… That's why he can bounce back the Buggy special cannonball. But, Mohji, if you knew that already." He fires his hand at Mohji. "Why the heck didn't you tell me so earlier!"

"But I did!" Mohji goes flying towards Luffy.

"Get out of the way!" Luffy kicked Mohji. "The fight has begun."

"Buggy's pirate fleet's commander, Cabaji the Acrobat!" Cabaji rode towards them on a unicycle. "I'll avenge the pain you've caused to my crew!"

Zoro blocked the man's sword with his own. "If it's swords, I'm all for it."

"It's an honor, Roronoa Zoro. As a swordsman I get to slay you," Cabaji said.

"Look, Zoro. I think it's better if I do it. You go take a rest," Luffy said.

"Acrobat technique, Fire Trick." Cabaji breaths fire in Zoro's face then kicked him on his injury.

"What a creep." Cade held her place, figuring Zoro would want to handle this on his own. Besides she didn't have a weapon to block a sword.

Zoro falls onto his back cursing.

"Eh, what's this? I didn't even kick you that hard, did I?"

"You dirty bastard! Aiming to the wounded area!" Nami said.

"Acrobat technique, Murder Mist Trick!" Cabaji kicked up dust with his sword until he and Zoro were covered.

Cade squinted into the cloud. Swords clashed but there was no way of knowing who had the advantage. It started to clear. The man kicked Zoro's wound again.

"That bastard did it again!" Nami said.

"What's wrong? A grown man around crying out loud is absolutely pathetic to watch," Cabaji said. "Because of your partner's odd power we've suddenly gone to pieces. Even though you're a pirate hunter, making the Buggy pirate fleet your enemy was a big mistake."

"Fighting with that injury was already too much from the start! Why are you two watching all silent and stone faced?! That guy's going to die!" Nami said.

"Must you yell so much?" Cade rubbed her ear.

"Roronoa Zoro! Go to the next world!" Cabaji charged.

Zoro knocked him down. "What an annoying guy. Do you find tearing up my wound that much fun?" He cuts himself. "My goal is to become the world's greatest swordsman. Is my condition now satisfying enough for you? Let me teach you the different in level between us."

"Whoa! So cool!" Luffy said.

"Roronoa Zoro… you impudent fool," Cabaji said.

"Ah! Just looking at him makes me feel like he's going to collapse any second," Nami said.

"Go, Zoro!" Luffy cheered.

"To anyone that calls himself a swordsman… I won't allow myself to lose even once to him," Zoro said.

"Oho… You to a strong determination there, but don't worry. Fighting me with such a serious injury, you can use that as an excuse when I defeat you."

"Nonsense! With this sort of injury, if I lose against the likes of you, my future carries an obvious fate!" Zoro stands ready.

"Hey." Nami placed her hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Behind the destroyed pub there's a warehouse. Their treasure is there. And the Grand Line map is probably still with Buggy. Since the pirates are still unconscious, I'll use the moment to slip over there, and after I acquire the warehouse's treasure, I'll make my escape. Since whether you win the fight or not, has nothing to do with me. But if you actually manage to fulfill your part and get the map… let's cooperate again when that happens." She ran into an alley. "Then off I go. I wish you a good fight."

"Okay, thanks," Luffy said.

Cade turned back to the fight. Cabaji threw out some tops then rode up a wall. Zoro sliced the tops then looked up. Cabaji angled his sword and plummets.

"Ground Runner Chop Chop Cannon! I'll grab him in place, so finish Zoro off!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Luffy stomped on Buggy's hand.

Buggy screamed.

"Don't interfere with Zoro's fight," Luffy said.

"Even without the captain's help finishing you off will be a piece of cake!" Cabaji's sword clashed with Zoro's.

Zoro dropped to the ground, blood poured from his wound. "Stop now. I'm tired."

"You're tired?" Cabaji laughed. "Are you getting anemia? You've finally given up. Well I suppose it was obvious. I mean, it's a substantial effort you make just to stay standing."

Zoro kicks Cabaji's unicycle out from underneath him. "I meant I'm tried of being the opponent of someone who has such pitiful skills!"

"Then let me finish you off now! With my real sword skills!"

"Oni!" Zoro crossed his arms then shot forward. "Giri!"

Cabaji cursed. "The word's best pirate cut down by the likes of a common thief. So shameful."

"I'm not a common thief." Zoro pulled off his bandana then crashed. "But a pirate. Luffy, I'm going to sleep now."

"Yea, you sleep. Now I'll finish this off. Cade, check his wound."

"Right."

"You mean you guys are pirates?!" Buggy asked.

"Yea. Hand over the Grand Line map!" Luffy said.

"So that was your goal. That place isn't exactly somewhere nameless pirates like you can go as they please. So what are you planning to do there? You want to go have a sightseeing tour?" Buggy asked.

"I'm going to become king of the pirates," Luffy said.

"Don't kid around! You idiotic fool! You become king of the pirates?! The person who'll get his hands on all the treasure in the world will be me! Don't even dream about it!"

"Shut up! Skip the lecture and let's start! You're being too loud, you idiot!" Luffy cracked his knuckles.

"Watch your mouth, Gum Gum!" Buggy said.

"Gum Gum? Was that supposed to be an insult?" Cade asked.

"Seeing your straw hat reminds me of a guy I knew long time ago," Buggy said. "The impudent red haired guy!"

"Red haired?" Luffy asked.

"No way. It's not possible," Cade said.

"Do you know Shanks?" Luffy asked.

"Mh? What's this? Looks like you are considerably interested. I know him, but why do you want to know?"

"Where is he now?"

"Where? Well, if I know then I know, and if I don't know then I could also not know anything at all." Buggy cupped his chin.

"What are you saying? Are you an idiot?"

"What do you mean idiot, you uncivilized buffoon!" Buggy pulled out eight daggers. "I'm saying that I'm not a nice enough guy to tell you information that you want to know. Even if it's your last wish before you die."

"Then let me make you say it by force."

"Before you hear it, you're going to be dead!" Buggy stomped his foot. A blade comes out of his shoe. "Windmill!" His legs spin through the air.

Luffy jumped over it.

"Moving here and there in the air! It's most likely impossible!" Buggy threw his daggers.

"Why not?" Luffy grabbed a pole and pulled himself out of the way.

"Oho! So, you can do thing's like that. How interesting!"

"You're an interesting person, too. Gum Gum Pistol!"

Buggy dodged. "It's an interesting ability, but an arm is stretched to its limit is full of weaknesses! I'll tear it to shreds!"

"Gum Gum!"

"Chop Chop Emergency Escape!"

"Scythe!" Luffy crashed into a building.

Buggy's head popped off. "You're not much of a threat." His head goes back on.

Luffy popped out of the debris and put his hat back on. "Separating into sections."

"Chop Chop Cannon!" Buggy's hand popped off with daggers between his fingers.

Luffy grabbed his wrist, but his hand separated more. The dagger scratched Luffy's temple and the brim of his hat. He fell onto his back. "You bastard!"

"What? So, you're pissed that your face is scarred?"

"How dare you mess up this hat!"

"What?"

"This is my treasure! I will never forgive anyone who messes up this hat!"

"Is the hat that precious to you?"

"Yeah, you bastard!" Luffy dodged a dagger from Buggy.

"If it's that precious to then why don't you protect it properly?!" Buggy goes after the hat again.

Cade threw out a stream of water and knocked Buggy's hand away. She jumped next to Luffy. "Let me watch your hat." Luffy nods and handed it to her. "Pound him into oblivion, Luffy."

"You got it!" Luffy charged at Buggy. "That's the hat I swore myself to with Shanks!"

"What's that's Shanks' hat? I thought it looked familiar! Me and that guy use to be in the same pirate ship. He was my comrade when we were still pirate trainees."

"Shanks is a great man!"

"You say that he was your comrade? Chop Chop Emergency Escape!" Buggy's head popped off.

Luffy kicked Buggy between the legs. He grabbed Buggy by the face. "How dare you treat my treasure like that! Shanks being your comrade… don't you dare repeat those words even again!"

"Even though I don't know what sort of relationship you had with Shanks, it's my own choice how I can speak of him!"

"Take this!"

"Chop Chop!"

"Stay still!" Luffy punched Buggy in the face.

They stand up. "Throughout my whole life, even until today, there has not been a single person who had made me madder than he did! I can't forgive him for what he did!"

"And that would be?" Cade asked.

"Because of him I lost a precious treasure map! And he forced me to swallow this devil fruit of mine!" Buggy snapped.

Cade rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt Shanks would do that to anyone."

"He did! I was going to sell that devil fruit for a huge amount of money! I was making plans when he snuck up on me! I had to hide it! So I hid it in my mouth!"

"Then that was your fault. If you steal something then you shouldn't hide it in your mouth," Cade said.

"I had every right to steal it! I mean I didn't steal it!"

"Yeah. Whatever." Cade waved him off. "Clearly you're an idiot."

"Shut up! I'm a pirate! I had a right to have that devil fruit and sell it! So that's why I promised myself! If I couldn't get anything under the sea then I'd settle for every treasure above it! With this devil fruit's power! Because of that who ever touches my treasure… whoever that is I never… leave them alive!" Buggy shoots towards Nami, whose carrying a full bag. "Put my treasure down!"

"You idiot! You stole his treasure then walked where he could see you?!" Cade shouted.

"Crap! He noticed me!" Nami said.

"You think?!" Cade growled.

"Since when did you think you could fool me, Nami? Let me send you painfully to the netherworld!" Buggy chased her.

"Can we just let Buggy have her? If she's going to be that stupid there's no way she can be a good thief or navigator," Cade said.

"She's already our navigator." Luffy looked at Buggy's bottom half.

Cade sighed. "You're never going to change."

Luffy brought his leg up between Buggy's.

Buggy fell to the ground. "Curse you, Straw Hat. How dare you kick my bottom half like that."

"You're opponent is still me." Luffy placed his hands on his hips. "Hey! Put that treasure down and go somewhere safer! You're going to get chased again otherwise!"

"Put the treasure down and run? I don't want to! Why should I leave my treasure behind?!"

"Because you'd be dead by now if it weren't for Luffy."

"Y-your treasure?" Buggy asked, his voice strained with pain.

"Of course! Since I'm a pirate treasure thief and I just stole from a pirate, I'm telling you this treasure is mine!"

"Ah, I see." Luffy tapped his fist in his palm.

"What nonsense! That treasure is mine! Do you think that if you steal it it's yours?! How were you brought up?" Buggy asked.

"A lecture from a pirate? Stop that nonsense," Nami said.

"What?"

"I don't think I've done anything bad enough to be lectured by a pirate." Nami stuck out her tongue.

"You're prepared for this, aren't you, Nami? Chop Chop Festival!" Buggy's body separated completely. "See if you can protect your friend now!"

"Dang it! There should be a limit to this Chop Chop. If it's like this, there's no way I can fight him. Huh?" Luffy noticed Buggy's feet. "What's this? The feet can't fly?"

"Well, isn't that interesting," Cade said.

"Give me back my treasure!"

"I won't!"

"Gotcha! You foot!" Luffy grabbed Buggy's foot. He took of the shoe and tickled it before slamming Buggy's toes on the ground, then pitches. "You're pretty tough."

"Stop it, you idiot!" Buggy said before Nami slams the bag in his face. He grabs it. "The treasure had been returned."

"Hey, let go!" Nami said.

Buggy brings two daggers behind Nami.

Luffy rushed towards her. "I told you that I'm your opponent!" He kicked Buggy on the head. "That last kick was for the village mayor."

"Thank you. Thanks to you, I'm alive," Nami said.

"Hm? Don't worry about it. Oh, yeah, the map," Luffy said.

"Ah! My treasure got scattered everywhere!" Nami said.

"All right! I finally got it! The Grand Line map!" Luffy clutched the map.

"Wait!" Buggy gets up. "Wait, Straw Hat."

"You're still alive?" Luffy faced him.

"I'll kill you once and for all! Gather up! Chop Chop Parts!" His head, hands, and feet gather together. "Eh?"

"You won't happen to be looking for these, would you?" Nami has the rest of Buggy tied up.

"My body parts!"

"A thief definitely has some cool skills! Leave the rest to me!" Luffy threw his fists behind him. "Get lost, Buggy. Gum Gum…"

"Stop!"

"Bazooka!"

Buggy goes flying.


	17. Strange Animals

Strange Animals

"Victory!" Luffy pumped his fists then planted them on his hips. "Now you're going to become our crewmember, right?"

"I'm just cooperating with you while it serves my purpose, remember that! I'll say okay for now, since it seems that if I go along with you guys I'll be able to earn a lot." Nami picked up her treasure and hugged it. "Buggy said that he only takes the best treasures for himself, so this bag's contents are the highest quality. This must treasure should be worth a least ten million berries. I've divided it into two bags so you hold half of it. This treasure is so heavy that carrying it alone is difficult."

"You had no problem carrying it before," Cade mumbled.

Luffy knelt down to Zoro and whacked him on the head. "Hey, Zoro, get up! Let's go."

Zoro opened his eyes and sat up. "Did you finish the fight?"

"Yeah, we also got the map and treasure."

"Ah. I don't think I can walk yet." Zoro placed his hand on his head.

"Obviously! If you guys can still walk then you're not human," Nami said.

"Why did you include me?" Luffy asked.

"You're the weirdest!"

"Oh yeah! I'll wake up the mayor!" Luffy looked at the unconscious man.

"You guys!"

The pirates turned to find people coming towards them, everyone holding some sort of weapon. "We're the people of this village. Did the pirates stir up a fight amongst themselves? If you know anything please tell us."

"Oh, so you're the villages. I think some of the pirate crew are still here," Nami said. "If you want us to tell you then there isn't anything much left to tell you."

"Ah! Mayor!"

"Goodness gracious! Please get up!"

"What happened here?!"

"If's definitely the work of those pirates!"

"Get ready to run," Cade said.

"Ah, sorry. I did that to the mayor," Luffy said.

"What?" The villages glared at him.

"Hey! Why did you tell them that kind of thing on purpose?!" Nami asked.

"You saw me do it, right?"

"I know, but still! That was because you had a good reason!"

"All of you, how dare you do this to our chief! It doesn't matter what sort of excuse you give us!"

"Who are you?! Are you pirates?!"

"Yup. We're pirates!" Luffy grinned. The villagers brandished their weapons.

Zoro laughed.

"You idiot!" Nami said.

"But it's the truth," Luffy said. He grabbed Zoro and they ran off. "Run away!"

"Hey! They're taking off!"

"After them!"

"Luffy, want me to slow them down?" Cade forms a mini water twister over her palm.

"Naw. It's okay. We can out run them fine," Luffy said.

"Let her! You made this situation worse by telling them you were pirates!" Nami said.

"This is a good village. There's no point in attacking them," Luffy said.

"What?" Nami gaped at Luffy.

"For their mayor, for just one person… they're all getting that mad. No matter what excuse we give, they'll still be mad at us." Luffy said as they dashed down an alley.

Shushu barked. They looked over their shoulders to find the dog blocking the villagers.

"We made it. Good. I was getting pretty worried. Thanks to Shushu we managed to get away," Nami said. "Why does it always end up this way?"

"Who cares what they think. We did what we came to do," Luffy said. "Is this your boat? It's cool. I envy you."

"I don't think so. I stole it from a bunch of stupid pirates," Nami said.

"We have been waiting for you, thief." Three men jump up from the boat.

"You… you guys are…" Sweat dripped down the thief's face.

"We knew you'd come back if we stayed here."

"I never dreamed that we'd see this boat again in this very harbor after you stole it."

"You won't be to say that you've forgotten us."

"You know them?" Luffy asked.

"Sort of."

"Sort of?! We have a long history! So you have a gang now? I guess we get to teach you all a lesson."

"Stealing from other is such a terrible thing to do." The guy with the hat patted Zoro on his head. "Man, don't fault like a coward. Stupid. Hey, hold your head up properly!"

"Huh?" Zoro lifted his gaze.

The three pirates shrieked. They jump into the water and swam off.

They set sail.

"Hey, that flag has Buggy's mark on it," Luffy said.

"It was those pirates' boat so of course it does. I'll erase it later," Nami said.

"Stop right there, you morons!" the mayor called. "I'm sorry! I owe you!"

"Don't worry about it! Just live happy lives!"

"Hold on. Where's the treasure?" Nami glanced around the boats.

"I left it behind," Luffy said.

"What! You left the treasure behind?! I gave you half of it, didn't I?! That's five million berries!" Nami growled.

"Yeah, but since half of the village was destroyed it will take some money to repair it," Luffy said.

"That's my treasure!" Nami grabbed Luffy and pushed him towards the water.

Cade pulled Nami's hands off him and twisted her arms behind her back.

"Ouch! Let go!" Nami demanded.

"Don't touch Luffy like that." Cade released the girl with a small shove.

...

"Share some food with us," Zoro said. A couple hours had passed since they left that island.

"What? Why didn't you get some while we were on the island? If you don't bring food and water with you, you're underestimating the sea," Nami said.

"I see something." Luffy shaded his eyes.

"It's a miracle you've survived up to now," Nami said. "That island is no good. It's unpopulated, so it's useless. Let's keep going."

Luffy paddled towards the island.

"Wait!"

"Let's see if we can find someone who would join us here," Luffy said.

"And let's look for food, too. You know, Nami was right, we seem to have no plans," Zoro said before dosing off.

...

Cade stepped out of the boat and hauled it closer to the land.

"We've reached the island!" Luffy laid down the oar and jumped out of the boat. "There's nothing here but forest."

"Like I said, this is an unpopulated island. It would be weird if you found someone for the crew here," Nami said.

"Hey, Zoro, come over here. Hey, you're sleeping!"

"Let's let him sleep. He's still recovering from his injuries." Cade checked Zoro's bandages then turned to Luffy.

Luffy nodded. "You're right. Well, let's go."

"Go where?" Nami asked.

"Towards the forest." Luffy headed towards the woods. "You never known there might be people there."

"There's no one here but poisonous snakes and wild animals." Nami cautiously scanned the ground and limbs.

"Pock. Pock. Pock." An animal walked by, cross between a fox and a rooster.

"What is that?" Nami asked.

"A fooster?" Cade offered.

"There's no such thing!" Nami said.

"Hey look! What a weird rabbit." Luffy held up a snake with bunny ears.

"It's weird all right, but I think that is a mutant snake," Nami said.

"Snunny." Cad rubbed her chin.

"Now you're just making things up!" Nami glared.

"How about that lion?" Luffy pointed to an animal crossed between a lion and pig.

"A lig." Cade smiled.

"Shut up! That's a pig. Isn't it? A weird mutant pig. This forest is really weird." Nami held her head.

"Don't come closer! Get out!" a voice called out.

"Huh?" Luffy looked up.

"What's that sound? Who are you?" Nami asked.

"Me? I am the forest guardian," the voice said.

"Forest guardian?" Luffy asked.

"That's right. If you still want to live, the leave at once. You are pirates aren't you?"

"Yes," Luffy said.

"Why did he ask that?" Nami asked.

"So you are pirates," the voice said. Listen well, don't take a step further into the forest. Or else you will face the forest judgment."

"Who cares?" Luffy harrumphed.

"What exactly is that?" Nami asked.

"What a weird guy," Luffy said.

"Hey, the brat with the straw hat, what did you just say?"

Cade scanned every shadow and tree. Whoever this was had to be close by.

"Where are you, come out!" Nami punched the air.

"Looks like the voice is come from there," Luffy said.

"Hey! I told you not to come closer! Receive the forest judgment!" A gun fired. It pressed into Luffy's body then bounced off. "Huh?"

Cade caught sight of the gun flash and backed into the shadows, sneaking around to that area.

"What a shock! That was a bullet, right? So bullets don't hurt you." Nami looked at Luffy.

"Yeah, but that surprised me, too." Luffy adjusted his hat.

Cade spotted a bush that stuck out from the bushes around it. At it's roots was a chest. Snapping out her hand she grabbed the _bush_ and found it to be a man. "Found him."

"Hey! Let me go!" The man kicked his feet.

"Wow! So cool! It's okay, Cade. You can release him." Luffy sat down on a rock.

"As long as you don't shoot at Luffy again." Cade brought the man to her face, giving him a storm filled glare.

"I won't. I promise." The man shivered.

Cade sat him down. "Tell us your name."

"It's Gaimon." The man looked at Luffy. "It's a devil fruit, right? I've heard about that before. But it is the first time I have met someone who actually ate that kind of fruit."

"It's the first time I've met someone who's stuck in a treasure chest, too. You're like a son in a box," Luffy said.

"Yeah. My parents took care of them when I was still small." Gaimon closed his eyes.

"My parents took care of them when I was still small?" Cade crossed her arms. "That doesn't make sense."

"Wait! Are you an idiot?! I'm not a son in a box!" Gaimon shouted. "I got stuck in here and I can't get out! I've lived on this island like this for twenty years. Can't you understand what I've been going through?"

"What? Twenty years? By yourself?" Nami asked.

"Yes. It's been twenty years."

"That's really stupid," Luffy said.

"What did you say? I'm going to kill you!" Gaimon snapped then sighed. "Twenty years… It's such a long time. My hair and mustache have already grown this long. And ever my eyebrows are connected. I haven't spoken to anyone for twenty years."

Luffy grabbed the man's head and pulls.

"It hurts! It hurts! What are you doing?!"

"Why can't I pull you out?!"

"Stop! Stop! My necks going to break!"

Luffy released him.

"You're crazy! I haven't moved in years! My body and this chest have already became one! If you're going to forcefully pull me out then my body will be done for!"

"But, how did you get to this island?" Nami asked.

"You mentioned earlier that you were pirates, right?"

"Yes, there are four of us," Luffy said.

"I was once a pirate."

"Oh!" Luffy's eyes widened.

"It's nice being a pirate, venturing for treasures, it's even okay if I risk my life. Do you have any maps?"

"We have a navigational map for the Grand Line." Luffy pulled out the map. "I'm going for One Piece."

"What? One Piece? And you intend to go to the Grand Line?" Gaimon looks at the map. "Which one is the Grand Line?"

"This. Uncle Cauliflower head, you don't know?"

"I don't really know how to read maps."

"Oh, I see."

"Is that how stupid pirates are suppose to talk?" Nami asked.

"Says the one who keeps saying _weird_," Cade said, earning a glare from Nami.

"Listen." Nami took the map. "Do you know the Red Line?"

"I know. That's the land that separates the oceans," Gaiman said.

"Yes. There are two oceans in this world. And the land that splits the world's two oceans is called the Red Line." Nami drug her finger over the map. "Using the city of Red Line as the center, draw a line around the world across the opposite way. And that's the Grand Line. In history, only the pirate king Gol Roger has conquered this route. Also, it is the most dangerous route."

"One Piece is surely in that place. That means we need to sail around the world," Luffy said.

"Idiot!" Nami snapped. "That place is not that easy to find! It also has another name: The Pirates Graveyard. Long ago, I saw pirates that returned from the Grand Line. Everyone of them had lost their spirit and looked as if they were dead. Their facial expressions were even more painful to look at. It looked like they had met something horrid, maybe a dreadful pirate or perhaps a monster. Nobody dared to talk about it. You could see from their look, the horror of the Grand Line. I have no other proof than this, the rumors only made it more and more mysterious. It's already been more than twenty years since the beginning of the great pirate ear. That treasure might be nothing more than a legend. Now can you see? One Piece is only inside a dream."

"Is that so? I think that there is a better ending right?" Luffy said.

"If a person really found such a treasure, he wouldn't tell anybody. That's what a smart person would do," Nami said.

"I will surely find the treasure because I'm always lucky." Luffy grinned.

"I just can't understand where you get such confidence," Nami said.

"Now I will tell you, why I can't leave this island," Gaimon said.

"Oh, why is that?" Luffy asked.

"It's because I'm not mature. I don't know how to adapt to the changes in situations."

"What?" Luffy asked.

"It happened twenty years ago, I was a pirate and the ship docked on this island. Because we found a map that said there was treasure on this island. Two hundred men searched for three weeks. All we found was a broken treasure chest. But no one climbed up this rock formation. I decide to climb up it before we left. Unfortunately, the rock under my hand crumbled and I fell. When I woke up I was stuck in this chest. By the time I managed to crawl to the short my crewmates had already left."

"No one came back to this island in twenty years?" Luffy asked.

"Yes. People came. There were many times. They were all pirates looking for the treasure, but I used the forest judgment to scare them all away. My eyes were never wrong. I'm very sure that there's a lot of treasure in that large rock hill. But I've been stuck in this chest. I've only been able to protect the treasure these past twenty years. That treasure is all mine!"

"That's right. Those are yours, Uncle." Luffy nodded.

"Okay, Gaimon! We'll help you bring those treasures down," Nami said.

"What? Is that true? That's very nice," Gaimon said.

"Aren't you a professional thief that steals treasures from pirates?" Luffy asked.

"Don't speak such nonsense! I have principles too!"

They followed Gaimon into the forest.

"This is it." Gaimon stopped and looked up a rock formation. "It's been a long time since the last time I came here."

"But why haven't you asked anyone to help you before?" Luffy asked.

"Because I don't trust anybody." Gaimon sighed. "Anyone who sees me like this wouldn't believe me anyway. I've waited for this moment so long, today's the happiest day of my life."

"Okay." Nami patted Luffy's shoulder. "Go for it."

"You want me to go up there?" Luffy asked.

"Of course. Do you think that I can climb that?"

"Come on, Luffy." Cade patted his shoulder. "We can race up there."

"Okay!" Luffy threw up his fist.

Cade held her palms towards the ground. They launched and landed at the same time, spotting the treasure chest. All were open and empty. "Well, that's... not really a surprise."

"There really are some treasure chests up here. There are five of them," Luffy said.

"That's great! Quick! Drop them here! But don't hit me!" Gaimon said.

"No way!"

"What?!"

"What are you talking about?" Nami snapped. "Stop joking around, and drop the treasure chests, now!"

"Nope. I don't want to."

"Don't you dare come down here again!" Nami said.

"Why does she think she can order us around?" Cade shook her head.

"Forget about it! It's okay if he doesn't want to drop them here!" Gaimon said.

"How can that be okay?! That's your treasure!"

"Straw Hat kid, you really are a good person."

"What are you saying?!"

"I've thought about it before. I knew it might be a possibility. But I always try hard not to think about it," Gaimon said. "The treasure chests are empty, aren't they?"

"Yeah. Every single one of them." Luffy laughed. "Don't be disappointed, Uncle! You meeting us after these twenty years is a really good thing, too. Because if it had been thirty years you might have been already dead. Don't worry, there's still the great treasure One Piece waiting for us! Will you join us?"

"You're inviting me?"

"Are you sure you want to stay here?" Luffy asked as he and Cade jumped back to the ground.

"Yes. Thank you for inviting me. But I still want to be the forest guardian here."

"Why?"  
"Because there are many rare animals in the forest."

"You're right. We saw a strange snake and pig."

"There were many people who came to this island to get those animals. And living here for twenty years made me grown to love those animals. I can't leave them behind."

"You're a rare and precious animal, too," Luffy said.

"I'm going to kill you!" Gaimon bared his teeth. "Now that there are no more treasures, I feel somewhat relieved. I can now live in this island more comfortably."

"Too bad, you are an interesting person," Luffy said.

"I'm sure you'll find good companions for your crew. And also find the One Piece, then buy the whole world."

"That's right! We can do it!" Luffy grinned.

"We better get going then," Cade said. The pirates headed back to the boats and pushed off the island.

...

**While writing this chapter I noticed, for the first time, in the manga this episode happens ** _ **before** _ ** Usopp joins but in the anime it happens ** _ **after** _ ** Usopp joins.**


	18. Lying Usopp

Lying Usopp

Cade watched as the clouds floated above her. With a rope wrapped loosely around her wrist she floated along side the boat. She enjoyed the relaxing warm of the water until Nami broke into that with her typical complaints.

"We need to plan things more," Nami said.

"What do you mean?" Luffy looked back at Nami from the bow of the ship.

"Are we going to the Grand Line like _this_?" Nami asked.

"Oh, that's right. Although Uncle Cabbage gave us plenty of fruits, we don't have any meat on this ship," Luffy said.

Cade laughed. Typical Luffy always thinking of meat.

"I'm not talking about the food supply!"

"And we don't have any sake to drink either. How boring," Zoro said.

"Let's not worry about the problem of food and drink first!" Nami growled.

Cade hung onto the side of the boat. "Well, meat and sake are food and drink."

"That's not what I meant! The place we're going, the Grand Line is the most dangerous place in the world. Every pirate in this world wishes to get the treasure there, so we need to get a better ship first." She pressed her thumb to her chin. "We're also short on crew members and this tiny ship doesn't have any equipment. No matter what you think, we can't possibly be safe."

"Oh! What do we do then?" Luffy asked.

"We have to prepare first, and plan for the journeys ahead. There's a village due north. We should go there first." Nami unfolded a map. "First thing to do when we get there is look for a better ship."

"And eat some meat!" Luffy threw his hands up.

"You expect to find a decent ship on an island that small?" Cade asked.

"It's the best chance we have right now." Nami rolled up the map.

"And how are you going to pay for it?" Cade asked.

Nami twitched then shot a glare at Luffy. "Well, we would have some money if a certain someone didn't give it away."

"So you're planning on stealing one?" Cade kicked her legs in the water.

"We'll have to wait and see when we get there," Nami said.

"Whatever." Cade went back to floating in the water until Luffy called out.

"Wow! There's really and island here!" Luffy stood up in the boat.

"Careful, Luffy." Cade pushed her feet underneath her. "Standing in a boat this small can be bad."

"So? I have you here to save me if I fall in." Luffy grinned.

"Geez. You two." Nami shook her head. "Anyway, what did you expect? We followed the map, so it won't be wrong."

Cade pulled their boat upon the beach so it wouldn't float away. Nami anchored her own and climbed out.

"Oh. Is there a village here?" Luffy pointed inland.

"Uh huh. Looks like there's a small village." Nami looked at her map again.

Zoro crawled out of the boat and stretched. "Been a long time since I last stood on firm ground."

"That's because you were sleeping all the time," Luffy said.

"We did stop on an island before," Cade said. "We left you alone since you need to rest and heal."

Zoro nodded. "By the way, just noticed a moment ago…" He looked up at the cliff. "What are those guys doing up there?"

Cade glanced up at the cliff in time to see three of four people running away. The one who remained stood with his arms crossed. His curly black hair held tight under a bandana.

"I am the great pirate fleet leader, Usopp, who is in charge of the security of this village! I'm also known as Captain! Captain Usopp! It's best if you don't try to attack this village because my eighty billion men are not going to forgive you!" He spots Cade and screams. "Ah! Monster!"

Cade jumped upon the cliff and thumped him on the head. "I'm not a monster! I'm a fishman! Got it?! Fishman!"

"Okay! Okay! I get it!" Usopp held his head.

"So you've been attacked and not a single man has come to save you. You were lying," Nami said.

"What?! I've been caught!" Usopp's eyes bugged out.

"What is with this guy?" Cade shook her head.

Luffy laughed. "You're so funny!"

"Hey! Don't underestimate me!" Usopp said. "I am a man with high self esteem. And everyone here calls me the Honorable Usopp!"

With a roll of her eyes, Cade grabbed Usopp and jumped back down to the beach.

Usopp shrieked.

"Stop screaming. We've landed," Cade said.

"Don't hurt me! Please!" Usopp begged.

"Don't worry. We might be pirates, but we're not going to hurt you." Luffy bent down to Usopp.

"What?! P-pirates?!" Usopp turned blue.

"Chill. Like Luffy said, we're not here to hurt anyone." Cade tapped Usopp with her toe.

"We're here looking for a ship," Nami said.

"A... a ship?" Usopp looked at each one of them. "I-if that's all you're looking for..."

"And meat! I'm hungry!" Luffy said. "And crewmates!"

"Um, okay. I know where you can get something to eat." Usopp lead them into the town.

Cade pulled her hood over her head as soon as the town came into view.

"Why'd you do that?" Usopp asked.

"Humans aren't known for their kindness towards fishmen." Cade eyed the villagers.

Usopp nodded and headed inside a small tavern. They placed their orders.

"So you're looking for crewmates and a big ship?"

"Yup." Luffy ripped into a piece of meat.

"Oh! Sounds like a big adventure!" Usopp grinned. "There's only one place where you can find the stuff you want in this village. Although it's not a very big ship, but it's not that small either."

"Where?" Nami asked.

"There's a mansion not far from this village that belongs to a wealthy family. The ship belongs to the mansion's owner. Although we say that she is the owner she is a pitiful young girl. A weak and sick girl that always lies on the bed," Usopp said.

"Eh? Then how come she's the owner of the mansion?" Nami asked.

"Hey! More meat!" Luffy held up his empty plate.

"Are you listening to me?!" Usopp screamed. "I think it happened around a year ago. That girl's parents died of sickness, leaving her a large inheritance, a mansion, and over ten servants." He put his hands behind his head and leaned back. "Even if you are really rich, it doesn't exempt you from sorrow."

"Never mind." Nami whopped the table with her hand. "Let's forget about searching for a ship in this village. We'll go and search somewhere else."

"Okay. But we're not in a hurry. I still want some more meat. Let's buy some more meat for our supply," Luffy said.

"I suppose we can afford some meat for the trip." Cade dug through her wallet. "But we'll need to get more money after that."

"And about looking for crewmates?" Usopp said.

"Is there somebody who wants to be our companion?" Luffy asked.

"Let me be the captain, and I'll join you." Usopp pointed at himself.

"Never mind," everyone said.

Cade propped upon her elbow. _This coward wasn't to be a captain?_

"What kind of attitude is that?!" Usopp's mouth dropped open. "Anyway, I have to leave now. It's that time." He got up and left without another word.

"That was sudden. I wonder where he's going," Cade said.

A few minutes later the door swung open. Three boys rushed in. "The Usopp Pirates are here!"

"What?" Nami asked.

"I don't know. Who are they?" Luffy took a drink.

"They said Usopp Pirates. So they're friends of his," Cade said. "They must be those who ran away on the cliff."

"Hey! Captain isn't here!" the carrot hat boy said.

"It can't be that… he's been eaten up!" the onion hair boy said.

"H-hey, pirates! What did you do to our Captain Usopp?!" The boys raised wooden swords. "Give us back our captain!"

Cade rested her chin in her palm and drummed her fingers on the table.

"Yum! What a delicious meal!" Luffy sat his cup down.

"Huh?! Meat?!" The boys gasped. "He… he ate the captain?!"

"Your captain…" Zoro rested his elbow on the table and placed his head in his hand. "We just ate him."

The boys scream and look at Nami.

"Why are you looking at me?!" She turned to Zoro. "Why did you tell them those weird things?!"

Zoro laughed.

"Chill out, boys. No one ate anyone here," Cade said. "He left a few minutes ago."

"Wait. He up and left," the onion boy asked.

"Yup. He left the shop," Zoro said.

"You're friends of his. From the cliff, right?" Nami asked.

"Yup. I'm Carrot. This is Onion and Pepper."

"Oh, so it was time to go to the mansion," the pepper boy said.

"Mansion? The place where the sick girl lives?" Nami asked.

"Yeah." Carrot nodded.

"Why does he go there?" Luffy asked.

"To tell lies," Carrot said.

"Isn't that a bad thing to do?" Luffy asked.

"That's not bad! Actually, it's great!" Pepper smiled.

"Yes! It's very good!" Onion said.

"Eh?" Luffy tilted his head.

"How can letting lies be a good thing?" Cade lifted an eyebrow.

"It's to restore her spirits. He's been doing it for a year now," Carrot said.

"So to restore her spirits, he's been going for a year to amuse her with made up tales?" Nami asked.

"He just said that," Cade said.

Nami frowned.

"You got it," Pepper said.

"I like his nosiness," Carrot said.

"I like the captain's cowardice," Pepper said.

"I like his lies," Onion said

"What kind of strong points are those?" Zoro asked.

"So the lady's feeling better already?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah, and it's all thanks to the captain." Carrot nodded.

"All right!" Luffy jumped to his feet. "Then we shall go to the mansion and ask for a ship!"

"No! Didn't I just say for you to give it up?!" Nami demanded.

"Shut up. It's not your decision to make. It's Luffy's. He's the captain," Cade said.

Nami looked as if she were going to say something else but didn't.

They stood and left the tavern.

Cade scanned the town as they strolled through it. It was nice, small, and looked to not have much excitement happening as everyone went about their day. It would be a miracle if they managed to get a ship out of this place. Stepping out of the town they walked up a winding dirt path to a large gate blocking their access to the mansion behind it.

"Good afternoon. Please lend us a ship," Luffy said even though no one was on the grounds. Stepping forward he climbed up the gate. "Let's just go in."

"Then what's the use of that greeting?" Pepper asked.

Nami sighed. "We can't stop him."

"You're just now noticing that?" Cade smirked.

Nami ignored her.

"Since we can't stop him, we'll have to follow him," Zoro said.

Cade launched herself into the air with a single kick. Flipping over the gate she landed at the same time Luffy did. Once everyone was over they walked around the side of the house and spotted Usopp at a window.

"Huh? Why are you all here?" Usopp looked at them.

"We brought this guy here." The three boys point to Luffy.

"Oh! So you're the one who owns this place." Luffy looked at the blonde girl hanging out the window.

"Who's that?" Kaya asked.

"These guys heard of my reputation, and traveled far to see me here. They are the new members of the Usopp Pirates." Usopp slipped his arm around Luffy's shoulders.

"No. That's not…" Luffy started.

"This guy lies nonstop," Cade said.

"A request? Of me?" Kaya blinked.

"Yeah, we need a big ship," Luffy said.

"What are you doing here?!" A man wearing glasses and a black suit marched over to them. "You can't just barge into the mansion like this!"

"Oh no! The butler!" Usopp said.

"Klahador," Kaya said.

Cade knitted her brow. The hairs on her arms stood. Something was off about this man. Though she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Who's he?" Luffy asked.

"Listen, Klahador, these people are-"

Klahador lifted his hand to silence Kaya. "You don't have to explain. I will ask you about it later. Please get out. Or is there something you need to say?"

"I want a ship," Luffy said.

"No way," Klahador said. "You… you're Usopp. I've heard some rumors about you. The villagers talk about you all the time."

"Oh… oh, thank you." Usopp smiled. "You may call me Captain Usopp. Everyone calls me that."

"The guards said you were lurking outside the gates. What do you want here?" Klahador pushed his glasses up with his palm.

Cade wondered why he did it that way. It was the first she had ever seen.

"Er… I heard that there's a huge mole inside the mansion! So I wanted to see it for myself!" Usopp said.

Cade's lip twitched. "Really? A huge mole?"

Klahador chuckled. "I see that you can certainly lie well."

"What?!"

"I have heard about your father too," Klahador said. "You're the son of a filthy pirate. I'm not surprised that you turned out this way. But you had better stay away from my mistress."

Cade shook her head. This guy was definitely a jerk. Maybe that's what troubled her about him. He was an unfair, biased jerk.

"His dad is a pirate?" Luffy asked.

Cade leaned closer to Luffy. "Now that he mentions it, Usopp does look like Yasopp. They have the same curly hair. Do you think it's possible?"

Luffy hummed. "They do have the same hair."

"Did you say filthy?" Usopp demanded.

"You and the mistress belong to totally different worlds. Is it money that you're looking for? Name your price," Klahador said.

"That's enough, Klahador! Apologize to Usopp at once!" Kaya demanded.

"There's no need for me to apologize to this uncivilized person." Klahador waved his hand at Usopp. "I'm just telling you the truth. I feel sorry for you. You hate your father, don't you? Because he's a dumb treasure hunter who deserted his family and village."

"Klahador!" Kaya screamed.

"I won't let you say another bad thing about my father!" Usopp glared.

"Why are you so angry? You're not very smart, are you?" Klahador pushed his glass up again. "You should have just told your usual lies. And say that your real father is a traveling merchant or that you and him are not blood related."

Usopp rushed forward and punched him. "Shut up!"

"About time someone punched him." Cade crossed her arms. "Wish I had done it."

"You still can." Zoro smirked.

"Will you two stop it?! You're going to make things worse!" Nami said.

"Uh… See? You're so violent! Like father, like some!" Klahador said.

"Shut up!" Usopp screamed. "I'm proud that my dad is a pirate! I'm proud that he is a brave warrior of the sea! You're right that I like to lie! But I'm proud of having a pirate's blood in me! I don't have to pretend that I'm not! I'm the son of a pirate!"

"Oh yeah! That guy! Now I remember!" Luffy tapped his fist in his palm.

Cade nodded. _Usopp is Yasopp's son without a doubt._

"You said pirates are brave warriors of the sea?" Klahador pushed up his glasses again. "Don't twist the truth. It's because you have that kind of savage bloodline that you like to lie so much. And use violence whenever you are enraged." He stood and dusted himself off. "I believe you only get close to the mistress for the money."

"What are you talking about?!" Usopp asked.

"Who cares what your motive is, the fact that your father is a pirate is more than enough reason for me to kick you out!"

Usopp grabbed the butler by his tie. "I dare you to say that again!"

"Usopp, please stop! Don't use violence!" Kaya placed her hand over her face. "Klahador isn't a bad person. He's just concerned about me. That's why he's a little extreme."

"Isn't a bad person? Good people don't insult people like he did." Cade pointed at the butler. "He's the one in the wrong. Usopp's been nothing but kind to you."

"But..." Kaya lowered her eyes.

Klahador slapped Usopp's hand off him. "Get out of here. Savages like you are not welcome here! I'll let you off this time, but I warn you… Don't come back here again!"

"Fine. I understand. I'll leave even without you telling me to." Usopp walked off. "I'll never come here again!"

"Captain! You bastard! Captain is not that kind of person!" Carrot said.

"Yeah! Stupid!" Pepper punched the air.

"Idiot!" Onion added.

"Idiot!" Luffy chimed in.

"Why are you screaming along with them?" Zoro tapped Luffy on the head.

"I'm going to kill him!" Luffy said.

"Hey, hey!" Zoro held him back.

"I agree. This _butler_ needs to be put in his place." Cade cracked her knuckles.

"Not you too!" Nami said.

"All of you, get out of here now!" Klahador said.

The group headed for the gate. Walking down the dirt path Cade noticed Luffy slipping off from them. _He's going after Usopp. Guess I'll check out the shops here._ Reaching the town Cade broke off from the group without a word. Strolling at a leisurely pace she looked for sales of items that could benefit their journey.

A few minutes later she heard Usopp screaming about pirates coming. The townspeople rolled their eyes and went about their business. But Cade noticed the fear in the young man's eyes. This wasn't a lie.

She followed him.

"Hi, everyone!" Usopp waved at the pirates and his friends. "What?! How can you still be alive?!"

"Still alive?" Cade and Luffy asked. He added, "I just woke up."

"Ah! Sneak attack from a monster!" Usopp jumped from Cade's appearance.

"Will you stop that? I was following you since town. Now what do you mean still alive?" Cade punched Usopp. "I said not to call me a monster!"

"Sorry! He fell off the cliff! There's no way he can be alive!" Usopp pointed at Luffy.

Luffy tilled his head in confusion.

"He was asleep the whole time. Captain, we heard about the pirates! We've got to warn everyone!" Pepper said.

"I'm going to need a complete recap for this." Cade waved a hand. "Get to explaining."


	19. Protect Kaya

Protect Kaya

"I see. So that's the story. I knew something was wrong with that butler." Cade clenched and unclenched her fists. "We should have pounded him back at the mansion."

Usopp suddenly laughed and shoved his hand behind his back. "Wait. What pirates? Just like all the other times, of course it was just a lie! I was just having my revenge on that butler, by making up stories about him being a pirate!"

"What?! It was a lie?!" Pepper said.

"Man! I thought something big was going to happen!" Carrot said.

"Even the Straw Hat captain helped Captain Usopp lie to us." Onion glared at Luffy.

"Captain shouldn't make up lies just because of this. That's not honorable!" Carrot said.

"Yeah, I feel the same way," Pepper said.

"Me too," Onion said. "No matter how mean that butler is… Captain, I've never thought you would make up lies to hurt others. Let's go home."

"Yeah! Go home and eat dinner!"

"Wonder what's for dinner."

"Sheesh. Those boys are fickle. Let me bandage your arm. Sit." Cade waved to a rock. Usopp sat down and held out his arm. A cool breeze rose off the ocean as the sun sank in the sky. "Explain why you lied to them."

"Because I lie all the time. No one believes a word I say now," Usopp said.

"Even so… the fact that those pirates are going to attack, is the truth, right?" Nami asked.

"They're definitely going to attack in the morning," Usopp said. "But no one believes me. They all think tomorrow will just be another peaceful day." He shot to his feet.

Cade growled and pulled him back down. "Hold still! I'm not done yet!"

Usopp winced. "Since everyone that thinks I'm a liar I'll protect this village myself and prevent the pirates from attacking! In order to protect this village, then this will become just one of my lies! Although they… fired guns at me and chased me with broomsticks… here in this village were I grew up! I love this village! I want to protect everyone!" He covers his face with his hands.

Cade tightened the bandage on his arm with a yank.

"Ouch! Careful! I'm wounded!"

"I said to hold still. It's not my fault you didn't listen."

Usopp rubbed his sore arm. "Anyway, how can I just watch everyone get killed?"

"You are a pretty good guy. You lied to your crew so that you can do this alone," Zoro said.

"Okay!" Luffy stretched out. "I'm definitely going to fight this one!"

Cade nodded. "Definitely want to ruin that horrid butler's day."

"But first things first, all their treasure is mine!" Nami said.

"Of course that's what you care about." Cade huffed.

"What? You guys… are willing to fight with me?" Usopp said. "Why?"

"Because the enemies out number you!" Luffy said.

"And out weight you in strength," Cade added.

"You also have the words 'I'm scared' written all over your face," Zoro said.

"Idiots! Me? Scared! So what if they outnumber me?! They can't compete with me! I'm Captain Usopp! In my veins flows the blood of a courageous warrior!" His legs trembled. He pounds at them. "Ah! Stop shaking! Stop it! Stop it! What are you guys looking at?! They're Captain Kuro's fleet! Of course I'm scared! I don't need your sympathy! Go away! Now!"

Cade reached out and flicked him on the head.

Usopp fell stiff as a board to the ground.

"Oh, yeah. You're definitely going to stand up to an entire crew of pirates by yourself." Cade knelt down and tapped him multiple times. "I think you're already dead."

"I am not!" Usopp sat up.

"We're not sympathizing for you. But rather we're commending you for having courage," Zoro said.

"Even if you're going to die." Cade grinned.

"You are a heartless monster!" Usopp snapped. Cade flashed her sharp teeth. He bowed. "I'm sorry."

"Why else would we risk our own lives?" Luffy asked.

"You… you guys. I'm so touched!" Tears streak down Usopp's face.

"Stop crying. We don't have much time to prepare for them." Cade stood.

Usopp brushed his tears away then lead them to a different shore.

Cade eyed the deep slope of rocks that led down to the water.

"They're going to attack from this shore because this is the only way into the village," Usopp said. "There's only one slope the rest is just cliffs. This means, as long as we guard this slope with our lives, the village won't be harmed."

Cade hummed. _Maybe this guy has some good qualities after all. At this point we have the advantage over anyone coming up the slope._

"Sounds easy!" Luffy said.

"Easier said than done," Usopp said. "What are you guys good at?"  
"I cut."

"I stretch."

"I manipulate water."

"I steal."

"I hide."

"You have to fight too!" Luffy, Zoro, and Nami scream.

Cade snorted. "Should have seen that coming. So what do we do now?"

"Wait here for a moment. I'm going to go get some oil." Usopp ran towards town. A few minutes later he came back with a barrel of oil. Zoro cut a hole in the side. Cade picked it up and spread the oil over the slope.

"Okay, we're done!" Usopp placed his hands on his hips. "We've spread a massive amount of oil here. Now those bastards won't be able to get up this slope. This is the most effective way to battle them. No matter what we must guard this slope with our lives."

"Just don't fall down there yourself. Or else your screwed," Nami said.

"Yeah." Usopp nodded. "Don't worry! I have a lot of confidence in myself! The sun is up. The pirates are coming soon."

Cade glanced out at the horizon. They watched and waited, only seeing the sun rising and the occasional fish jumping from the water or a bird flying by.

"Where are they? It's already morning." Luffy kicked a rock.

"You don't suppose they slept in?" Zoro asked.

"Am I just overly sensitive?" Nami cupped her ear.

"I don't think there's a shred of sensitivity in you," Cade said.

"Seriously! I can here 'Go' coming from the north direction."

"The north?!" Usopp gasped.

"I'm positive," Nami said. "I can hear it."

Usopp screamed.

"What's going on?!" Zoro asked.

"There's another entrance into the village in the north… But…" Usopp grabbed his head.

"Don't tell me you got it wrong!" Luffy said.

"They talked about the plan here! So I thought they'd attack from this side!" Usopp said.

"How could you make a mistake like that?!" Cade demanded. "We could have sent half of us there to keep watch!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Hurry! Which way are they going to attack the village from?!" Luffy said.

"Going in that direction it'll only take three minutes!" Usopp jerked his thumb to the left. "The landscape on that side is basically the same as this one. All we have to do is prevent them from coming on top of the slope."

"Oh no! That's where we docked our boats! My treasure is going to be robbed!"

"I only need twenty seconds to get there!" Luffy dashed off.

Cade followed behind, noticing he's going the wrong way. "Luffy! Wait!"

"No! I can't!"

"You're going the wrong way!"

Luffy skidded to a stop.

"Jeez, Luffy! You should be able to tell which way is north!" Cade took the lead. A few minutes later they spotted Zoro. "Ack! Not you too! How did you even get here?!"

"Huh? I thought you were already heading to the north," Zoro said.

"Just follow me!" Cade growled.

Shouts grew louder the closer they got to the north slope. Cade spotted Nami and Usopp were cowering at the top. With no time to waste she and the boys leapt over them. She shot out a stream of water. "Hydro Shot!"

Men slipped and fell back down the slope from their attacks.

"I didn't know you guys were this strong," Usopp said from his spot on the ground.

"Of course!" Luffy said.

"What took you guys so long?!" Nami asked.

"Hey! It was you who caused me to fall down that slope! Now you're blaming me?!" Zoro said.

"You fell down the slope?" Cade looked at the swordsman.

"I didn't _fall_. _She_ fell and pulled me down!" Zoro pointed at Nami.

"I couldn't help it! Better one person fall down than both of us!" Nami said.

"Then you should have been the one to fall!" Zoro growled.

"Usopp, you idiot! You said to go north but you didn't say which way was north!" Luffy said.

"You should know that just by looking at the sun." Cade flicked his ear.

"It was your fault for running off like that!" Usopp said.

"I was trying to help you!" Luffy said.

"Guys, now's not the time to argue over this! That guy with the heart glasses is doing something!" Cade pointed down to the man.

"Looks like he's hypnotizing his men," Nami said.

"Hypnotizing?" Cade looked at the navigator.

"Yeah. We saw him do it before," Zoro said. "His name is Jango."

The men pulled themselves up off the ground with a hearty yell. One slammed his fist against the cliff. Rocks tumbled down the side.

"They have really been hypnotized!" Nami grabbed her head.

"If just one guy can crush the cliff…. Then that many guys…" Usopp trailed off.

Jango pointed at them and yelled, "Go! Kill those pests!"

The men charged forward.

"You two hurry and go up the slope." Zoro jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "We'll take care of this."

Nami help Usopp stand. With his arm over her shoulder they trudged up the slope. "Hey, Luffy. Luffy?"

"Yeah!" Luffy threw his hands in the air.

Cade looked at her brother. His eyes were distant. "Don't tell me."

"You got hypnotized too?!" Zoro, Usopp, and Nami said.

Cade huffed and crossed her arms. "Of course. Well, might as well us it to our advantage." She tapped Luffy's shoulder then pointed at the pirates. "Go get them, Luffy."

Luffy charged down the slope. Pulling back his fists he released his Gum Gum Gatling. Blood spilled from bodies as they flew through the air. He then bolted past the remaining men and grabbed the front of the ship. The bow snapped off in his grasp. Jango lifted his hypnotizing tool and Luffy suddenly fell asleep with the broken ship part falling on top of him.

"Geez. Luffy." Cade shook her head. "At least he's still useful like this."

"His head is squashed under the ship bow," Usopp said. "Is he all right?"

"Don't worry. He won't die from that." Zoro rested his sword on his shoulder. "First worry about yourself. You're still bleeding. Hey, Cade, why don't you give Usopp a look-see? He might need stitching up. I can handle these guys for now."

"Fine." Cade walked over to the curly haired teen and knelt down beside him.

"You a doctor?" Usopp asked.

"No. I'm only know a bit more than first aid." Cade turned Usopp's head to get a better look at his head wound. "I studied a bit with Shanks' crew's doctor."

"Shanks? Then you too know my dad. Yasopp?"

Cade nodded. "Of course, I do. He's the best sniper I've ever seen. You're going to be fine. Just some disinfectant and bandages."

"What are they?" Nami asked.

"Wow. They jumped from so high up. They're like cats," Usopp said.

Cade turned back to the pirates to find two new guys, dressed like cats, had joined the group. Instead of rushing into the fight the two cat men cowered.

"What's going on? Aren't they any good?" Usopp asked.

"I don't know," Zoro said.

"They both seem scared," Nami said.

Cade watched as the two cat men talk to the hypnotist before turning back to Zoro.

"What's going on? Aren't they supposed to be strong? Why are they making those cowards fight?" Nami asked.

"Prepare to die! My claws are really sharp!" The smaller of the two cat men ran up the slope.

"What can you do to me with those claws?" Zoro asked. "If you don't stop now, I'll attack you!"

"Just you? You can't kill me." His claw glove came down on Zoro's sword. "You must be thinking that I'm just a coward, right? I was just pretending to be a coward. If I didn't, then you wouldn't have left your guard down.

"So he was just acting scared?" Usopp asked.

"Will you stop moving?" Cade re-positioned his head.

"Zoro! Your swords!" Nami shouted.

Where'd they go?" Zoro patted his side where his swords should have been.

"You look like you might have a few skills! But you underestimate me, Sham of the Nyaban Brothers. What are you missing something? I don't know where they went." He held Zoro's swords.

"Oh no! That guy took Zoro's swords!" Nami said.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious." Cade rolled her eyes.

"Give me back my swords," Zoro demanded.

"Give them back? Isn't your sword already in your hand? Oh right, before the battle starts I should…" He took the swords off his back and threw them down the slope. "Get this junk out of the way. Okay." He licked his claw. "Now that's better."

"Don't treat others' swords with disrespect!" Zoro sliced the cat man.

"Wow! Powerful!" Usopp said.

Zoro dashed for his swords but was stopped by the cat man.

"That guy… he's actually very thin. No wonder Zoro's attack missed!" Usopp said.

The heaver of the cat men jumped into the battle. Together they sliced their claws at Zoro.

"Oh no! Zoro can't handle them!" Nami said as Zoro could only defend. "What are you doing?"  
Usopp readied his slingshot. "He can't counter with two people attacking him! I'm going to help him out!"

"No!" Cade grabbed his hand to stop him.

"What are you doing?! He needs help!" Usopp said.  
"Think about it! What if you actually hit one of those cat men? They'll come after you!" Cade said. "Zoro's having trouble fighting with a _sword_. Do you think you could do any better with a _slingshot_?"

"What?" Usopp lowered his arms. "But I can't just..."

"Zoro can handle this." Cade looked back to the fight.

"Maybe so but Zoro needs all of his swords," Nami said. "I have to get them back for him. If I can he'll definitely win this fight."

"Don't be stupid. They're not going to let you get near them," Cade said but Nami was already climbing over the side of the cliff.

"In that case, let me go!" Usopp said.

"Don't overdo it, you're badly hurt!" Nami disappeared over the side.

"Idiot!" Cade followed her. As Jango lifted his circle she shot forward, pulling Nami out of the blade's way. They hit the ground and rolled to a stop. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" The battlefield suddenly went quiet. Cade glanced up the slope to find the butler from the mansion standing there. "Great."

Kuro started to monologue and gave them five minutes before they all died.

Cade rushed towards Luffy. "Hey, Luffy, time to get up." She lifted the ship part off him, threw it aside, and tapped his head. "Get up, Luffy. We have another guest."

Luffy woke, stood, and examined the battle field while adjusting his hat. "So even the evil butler is here now."

"Yeah. Now the real fun begins." Cade smiled.

"Three more minutes and all of you will die," Kuro said.

"What?! There's no hope left! Even though we have Captain Jango and Bushi, but only three more minutes! How can we finish off these people?!"

"Buchi! We don't have any more time! You go kill the guy with the swords." Jango said. "I'll deal with the straw hat kid."

"Kuro! Stop it!"

"Crap." Cade looked up the slope to find Kaya. She pulled a gun on the pirate captain but is clearly unable to pull the trigger. "No! What are you doing?! Get out of here!"

Usopp rushed forward and punched Kuro.

Kuro turned sharp cat like claws on Usopp.

Luffy threw out a punch, nailing the butler in the face. The butler hit the ground.

"What happened? How did he knock Captain Kuro down from that position?"

"Captain Kuro's really angry now."

"What are we going to do?"

"Here's our chance!" The Usopp pirates appeared and beat Kuro over the head with a bat, pan, and shovel.

"Those idiots." Cade shook her head. "What are they thinking?"

Kuro shouted out for Jango to kill Kaya.

"Cade," Luffy said.

"Hm?"  
"I need you to do me a favor." A pause. "Protect Kaya and those kids."

Cade's eyebrows rose for a moment before lowering. "Right." She launched himself over the battle field with a water twister. Grabbing Kaya's wrist she pulled her from the fight. "Let's go, kids!"

"What are we going to do?! That guy is coming!" Carrot said.

"Don't worry. I'll handle him. Let's get you all farther inside the forest. Find a hiding place in case others get past my crew and come after you," Cade ordered.

"You're going to take him on by yourself?" Onion asked.

"Don't worry." Cade smirked. "I can handle him easily enough." She stopped running. "Now get going."

"Come on, Kaya." Pepper took the girl's hand.

"Be careful," Kaya said before disappearing into the forest.

Cade turned and faced Jango.

"So one stayed behind to fight me," he said.

"Don't expect it to be easy."

Jango scoffed. "You're a child. A child who thinks they can stand up to an adult who's been a pirate for years."

"You say we're going to fight yet you're doing nothing but talking." Cade smirked. "You and your precious Captain Kuro are no threat to us Straw Hat pirates."

"You a pirate?" Jango laughed. "Very well. You asked for it." He tossed his chakram.

Cade kicked off the ground, landing on a branch. The chakram sliced through a tree. It crashed through its fellow trees. She eyed the remaining stump. The chakram had made a clean slice. _Okay, that thing could be trouble. It can go through my water unless I hit it just right. But it moves so fast. Clearly he's a long range fighter. I have to get in close. One hit will knock him out._ "Come on. Surely that's not all you can do."

Jango gritted his teeth and pulled out a second chakram while grabbing the first one that flew back at him. He threw them both.

Cade jumped seconds before the chakrams sliced the branch she stood on. She flew forward and landed a kick on his cheek.

Jango flew and crashed into a tree.

Cade waited for him to get back up. He didn't. "Well, I knew he was weak but still... All well." She glanced around the forest. "I wonder where they went."

"Hey! Cade!"

Cade turned to find Zoro running up to her with Usopp slung on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"You stopped him?" Zoro eyed the man on the ground.  
"Yup." Cade nodded. "He was easy."

"Kaya! Where's Kaya?!" Usopp looked around from Zoro's shoulder.

"Farther in the forest. I had them go on ahead and find a place to hide in case more people followed."

Usopp ran off.

"How you doing?" Cade eyed Zoro.

"Just a few scratches. Let's go back. I'm sure Luffy's done by now. No one else should be coming after them." Zoro jerked his thumb over his finger. They left the forest.

...

Cade stretched. "Well, that was fun, but I wish they had put up more of a fight."

"You're insane," Nami mumbled.

"Maybe I am." Cade smiled. After regrouping with Luffy they headed back to the tavern to get something to eat.

"Oh, so this is where you guys went." The pirates looked to find Kaya walking towards them.

"It's you." Luffy waved.

"Don't you need to stay in bed?" Nami asked.

"No. I've been sick like this for a year. Ever since I lost my parents that day Usopp encouraged me. That's why I can't be so weak now. Anyway, I heard you guys need a ship."

"A ship! You're going to give us one?!" Luffy asked.

Kaya nodded. "It's ready right now if you want to see it."

"Yes!" Luffy jumped from his seat. The pirates followed the girl to a beach where a ship and a man were waiting, both matching with a lamb theme.

"Hey…" Zoro said.

"A caravel!" Nami gasped.

"Wow!" Luffy's mouth fell open.

"Not bad." Cade rubbed her chin.

"I've been waiting for you. It's slightly old style but I designed it myself." The sheep man held out his hand. "It's a caravel and it uses a staysail. The controls are in the back. It's called Going Merry." He eyed the pirates. "So it is you all who defeated the Kuro pirates with Usopp. I thought you'd be a little bigger."

"We're only teenagers." Cade blinked. "How big did you expect us to be?"  
"Sorry. I meant no offense." The man shifted. "I didn't expect you all to be so young. But I do thank you whole heartily. My name is Meri. Please accept this ship as a token of my appreciation."

Cade shrugged and moved closer to the ship.

"We can really take this?" Luffy asked.

"Yes, I insist." Kaya nodded.

"I will explain the steering system. First of all, in order to adjust the yards in relation to the crew garnet," Meri said to Luffy.

"You'd be better to tell me." Nami stepped closer to Meri.

"This ship is so cool," Luffy said.

"Definitely better than what we've been using." Cade ran a hand over the wood.

"I had everything you would need for a voyage loaded on the ship," Kaya said.

"Thanks for causing all this trouble." Luffy grinned.

"You mean _for going through_ all this trouble." Zoro bonked Luffy on the head.

Usopp's cries pulled their attention to the slope. He came barreling down the slope. "Stop me please!"

"Well, that's one way to travel." Cade chuckled.

"Usopp," Kaya said.

"What's he doing?" Luffy asked.

"I think we should stop him. If he keeps on going like that he'll hit the ship," Zoro said. He and Luffy stepped forward. Lifting their feet they planting them on Usopp's face.

"Th-thank you," Usopp said.

"No problem," Luffy and Zoro said.

Cade jumped to the railing then to the deck while the others used the rope ladder. Usopp remained on the ground with Kaya.

"Have a safe voyage, guys! Hope to see you again on the sea!" Usopp called.

Cade walked up to the upper deck where the others were.

"Why?" Luffy asked.

"Huh. Why?" Usopp sighed with a shrug. "Why do you think? I'm going out to sea and hope to see you again."

"What are you talking about? Get on." Zoro pointed at the ship.

"What?" Usopp asked.

"We're friends, right? Get on." Luffy crossed his arms over the railing and laid his chin on them.

Usopp's eyes brightened. He leaped into the air. "Yes! I'm finally a captain of a ship!"

"Hey! I'm the captain!" Luffy said. "We have to celebrate! Let's get something to drink!"

"I'll get it." Nami disappeared through a door. A few minutes later she came out with mugs.

"To a new ship and new crewmember!" They lift their mugs together. "Cheers!"


	20. Cooks

Cooks

Cade hummed as Luffy and Usopp fiddled with one of the ship's cannons. Luffy shot once and completely missed the rock he had targeted. Usopp then took over, made adjustments, fired, and blew the rock into pieces.

"Sniper. Artist. Is there anything he can't do?" She lifted her eyes to their Jolly Roger. Usopp had painted it a few days ago after Luffy painted a horrible one. Their Jolly Roger was a straw hat on the skull and cross bone. Fitting for them to become the Straw Hat pirates since their captain wore a straw hat. She wondered what Shanks and his crew would think about it.

It didn't take them long at all to settle in to their new _home_. There was plenty of space for their small crew, with room to add more members. There were two bedrooms. One for the men and one for the women. But Cade decided not to sleep in the same room with Nami. They didn't get along and probably never would. So she decided to turn the storage and cannon room into her own. It gave her space to put her sewing. And allowed her to keep an eye on some of their food so Luffy wouldn't eat it all.

"Hey! We need to have a meeting!" Nami called from the kitchen doorway.

Cade jumped to the deck then up to the next level.

"I've decided you can be our sniper," Luffy said as they entered the kitchen.

Cade sat beside her brother, keeping him between her and Usopp. While the sniper had finally stop calling her a monster she still got the impression she scared him a bit still.

"All right, I guess I can settle for that for the time being. But if you ever chicken out from you duties, I'll take charge as the ship's captain," Usopp said.

"You can't be serious." Cade rested her elbow on the table and her head in her hand, peering at him from around her brother. "You know I'm the first mate. So if anything happens to Luffy I'll be the captain."

"Come on!" Usopp whined. "I'll be a good captain!"

"Keep enjoying your fantasies." Cade waved at him.

"Hey, I just had an idea!" Luffy crowed. "There's still one crucial position of a pirate crew we need to fill before entering the Grand Line."

"That's right. We do have this fantastic kitchen after all. Of course, I could do it as long as I get paid," Nami said.

"Not going to happen," Cade said. "I'll do the cooking."

"What's wrong with me doing it?" Nami challenged.

"You want to get paid. You have no right to try and drain us of money." Cade twisted a curl. "Do you really think we'll ever have enough money to pay you for three meals a day? I'm doing it. End of story."

"Cade's a great cook!" Luffy slipped his arm around her shoulders.

"Then why can you be the cook full time?" Zoro asked.

"Because I'm not a _chief_. I'm use to dragging or finding whatever we can out of a jungle." Cade exchanged looks with Luffy. "I don't think we've had a real balanced meal since Grandpa threw us into the jungle. We have to be careful with food on the sea. Well, you humans do anyway. It's different for us fishmen. We can survive on whatever the ocean provides us."

"Yeah, I get you. An indispensable crew member for long voyages." Zoro nodded.

"You think so, too, right? Yup, what a pirate ship crew really needs is a musician!" Luffy said.

Cade laughed.

"Are you retarded?! Did you even hear a word Cade just said?!" Usopp asked.

"And here I thought you were going to say something smart for the first time in your life." Zoro sighed.

Do you have any idea what sailing on the seas is like?!" Nami slammed her hands on the table.

"But a pirate's got to sing!" Luffy said.

"Come on out, you blasted pirates! I'm going to slaughter all of you!" a voice came from the deck. It was followed by a crash.

Luffy rushed outside. "Hey! Just who do you think are?!"

Cade followed him to find a black haired man with sunglasses going on a mini rampage on the ship.

"Who am I? I should be asking who _you_ think you are!" the man swung his sword at Luffy. "I've killed countless of infamous pirates and yet a nameless person like you dares to try and kill me and my partner?!"

Luffy grabbed the man's head and slammed him onto the deck. "Don't wreck my ship!"

"Ugh. A-almost had him."

"Almost? What fight were you in?" Cade leaned over the man and eyed his face tattoo.

"Ack! Monster!"

Cade slammed her foot on the man's face. Her eyebrow twitched. "What is wrong with you humans?!"

"Just what the heck are you shouting about anyway?" Luffy asked.

"Johnny?"

"Z-Zuru?! I's hat 'ou, bro?!" Johnny mumbled from under Cade's foot.

"You know him?" Cade looked up at the swordsman.

"Yeah. You can let him go." Zoro nodded.

Cade removed her foot.

"Where's Yosaku? Isn't he usually with you?" Zoro jumped between the broken railing and landed on the deck with a thud.

"H-he's... sick!" Johnny ran to the side of the ship, disappearing over the side. A moment later he came back up, pulling an unconscious man on board. Zoro and Usopp rushed over to help. They laid the man on the deck. "It happened a few days ago. All of a sudden he turned pale and kept passing out. I don't know what-"

"Scurvy." Cade knelt beside the sick man. She eyed his scaly, dry brown skin before pulling his chin down to look at his gums. As she had expected they were swollen, spongy, and purple. Bleeding in a few places too. "Luffy. Usopp. There are limes in the kitchen. We need to get the juice into him."

"Right!" Luffy and Usopp ran off then returned, each carrying a small crate of the fruit. Grabbing a lime they squeezed them over the man's mouth.

"That was a quick diagnosis." Johnny looked at her. "You a doctor?"

"No, but I know what it is. He caught this because of a lack of nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. He'll be fine soon," Cade said.

"Thank you, big sis. Thank you so much!" Johnny cried.

"Don't call me that. I'm not your sister." Cade stood with an annoyed glare.

Yosaku suddenly jumped up."All right! I'm charged up now!" He and Johnny linked arms and danced around.

"No way he can recover that fast!" Nami snapped.

"Sorry for the late introductions. The name's Johnny."

"And I am Yosaku. Zoro used to bounty hunt with us in the past. Nice to meet you all. I don't know how to thank you. I thought I bit the dirt for sure." The two men stuck a similar pose with one arm under the other while touching their chins.

"Well, color me surprised. I never would have expected the infamous pirate hunter Zoro to become a pirate," Johnny said.

Yosaku collapsed.

"Let this be a lesson to the rest of you," Nami said.

"These are the kinds of dangers we'll have to face on long voyages," Zoro said.

"He would have died for sure if he hadn't come across us." Usopp leaned against the mast. "We definitely need someone to think about our diet to see to it that we stay healthy. Cade is right. What we need is a chef of the sea."

"If you think about it, that's one of the most important talents to have when you're out at sea." Nami crossed her arms.

"All right, I've decided then! Let's go look for a sea cook! Eating good food is never a bad thing!" Luffy said.

"Bro!"

"What is it, Johnny?" Zoro asked.

"If you're looking for a cook, I know just the place," Johnny said. "Of course getting one to join you is another matter all together."

"A restaurant on the seas?!" Luffy grinned.

"That's right. You should be able to reach it from here in two or three days. But that place is close to the Grand Line so you got to be careful," Johnny said. "Lot of dangerous guys around those parts. Even that Hawkeye man you've been looking for has been sighted there once before. If it's all right, I'll lead the way."

...

"We've arrived at the restaurant! Brother Zoro! Brother Luffy! Brother Usopp! Big Sis Nami! Big Sis Cade!" Johnny said.

"I told you not to call me that," Cade said looking at the fish shaped boat they were gliding towards. The word "Baratie" was painted in large letters. Movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked down to a marine ship sailing up beside them. As a man stepped out on the deck she pulled her hood over her head and listened to the ruckus below.

Johnny and Yosaku attack the marine but they were defeated easily. She continued to watch the marine until a lady came out on the deck. Cade jumped from the mast. Her eyes land on Nami. The navigator was kneeling down ,holding a wanted poster. Glancing over Nami's shoulder she noticed the pirate was a fishman. _Arlong?_ The poster crinkled in Nami's hands, her shoulders trembled. "Hm?"

"Hey! We're in trouble!" Usopp said. "That guy's aiming his cannon at us!"

_Boom!_

"He fired!" Usopp shrieked.

"Must you point out the obvious?" Cade asked as Luffy jumped into action. Stretching he caught the cannon ball then sent it sailing. Right towards the restaurant, crashing into its roof.

"Luffy! Where were you aiming?!" Usopp shrieked.  
"Sorry!" Luffy fell onto the deck then shot himself over to the restaurant as the navy ship continued on without another glance in their direction.

"I can already tell this isn't going to be good." Cade crossed her arms over the railing and waited to hear how much trouble her brother got himself in.

"How long is he going to be in there?" Usopp asked a few minutes later.

"Maybe we should go check on him," Zoro suggested.

"Probably a good idea." The two guys headed for the edge of the ship. Usopp turned back to Cade. "You coming?"

Cade hummed. "I don't think so. Too many people. And with the navy still here I don't want to risk them demanding me to take my cloak off."

"Okay then." Usopp followed after Zoro and Nami.

Cade watched them enter the restaurant before heading to her room to get her sewing. With it in hand she settled down under the mast and continued working on a vest for Luffy.

"You can sew?" Johnny asked.

Cade jumped having forgotten he and his friend remained on the ship. "Uh yeah. I learned when I was a kid. It's a useful skill to have."

"I guess it is," Johnny said.

"Aren't you going to go get something to eat?" Cade asked.

"No. Yosaku is still feeling a bit weak. Zoro said he'll bring us something back."

Cade followed Johnny's eyes to his friend. Yosaku was sitting against the ship wall with his eyes closed. _It's amazing he's been up at all considering how close to death he was._ She refocused on her sewing.

...

"He's such an idiot."

Cade lifted her eyes at the sound of Zoro's voice.

"Can't argue with that." Usopp nodded.

"What are we going to do? We can't stay here for that long," Nami said.

"What's up?" Cade asked.

"Because of the damage Luffy did to that ship he has to stay for a whole year to pay for it," Usopp said.

"A whole year? That's not possible. Luffy won't stay that long," Cade said.

"What choice does he have?" Nami asked.

"Trust me." Cade smiled. "Luffy's not fit to work in a restaurant. He'll do more harm than good. It's only a matter of time before we take off again. Oh yeah." Setting down her sewing she grabbed her measuring tape, pencil, and notepad then stood up. "I need your measurements."

"Measurements?" Usopp asked.

Cade nodded. "I already have Zoro's and Luffy's."

"Why?" Usopp lifted an eyebrow. "We can buy new clothes if needed."

"We might not have enough money for that. Sometimes it's easier to find fabrics on sale than clothes." Cade pushed Usopp's arms up like a scarecrow and spread the measuring tape over him. His body tensed at her closeness. "Besides you might not find clothing that will benefit you in battles."

"That's true. I guess." Usopp relaxed as Cade continued to measure every inch of him.

"You're so skinny," Cade said.

Zoro laughed.

"Hey! I'm not that skinny! My clothes are just big! I like them loose!"

"There. That's it. I've got all I need. If there's anything you need me to sew for you don't hesitate to asked." Cade slapped her notebook closed.

"Okay. Thanks," Usopp said. "Hey, Nami, are you going to get your measurements taken?"

"No, thanks. I'm not interested." Nami turned from them.

"She just doesn't want to get close to Cade." Zoro sat down against the ship and put his hands behind his head. "I'm sure you've noticed they don't get along."

Usopp nodded.

"Why?" Yosaku asked.

"She hates fishmen," Cade said.

"I do not! I hate pirates!" Nami growled.

"Keep telling yourself that." Cade waved dismissively at the navigator then went back to her sewing.

"You making that for Luffy?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah." Cade nodded. "He can tear up a shirt within seconds. It's good to have more on hand. Besides it keeps me busing during lulls."

"Good idea. Glad I packed some of my own tools to tinker with."

Cade glanced up at the sniper. "Tools?"  
"I'm more than a pirate captain and a great sniper." Usopp pulled out his slingshot. "I made this myself. And I can make any kind of weapon you want."

"Really?"

"Yup!" Usopp nodded and jutted his thumb at himself. "So if you need any weapon I've got you covered."

"Thanks, but I doubt it. I prefer to fight with my fists and my water." Cade poked her needle through the fabric. "I do have a dagger. But I don't like to use it."

"Sounds like it's important to you."

"It is."

...

The orange sunset had faded to deep blues when Luffy finally appeared at the ship. With his arms drooping he stumbled his way over to Cade and fell face first onto the deck. "That totally sucked. I'm exhausted."

Cade patted his head. "Well, maybe you'll learn from this and think before you fire so randomly."

Luffy grumbled. "I need food! Cade! Dinner!"

"Fine." Cade placed her sewing down and headed for the kitchen. She paused for a moment when Luffy's hand landed on her shoulder. With a snap, he landed on her back. She hooked her arms around his knees. "You are so pathetic."

Luffy's stomach released a loud growl. "Food."

Cade entered the kitchen and placed Luffy at the table. He slumped on to it. She gathered up some apples, crackers, and cheese and placed them in front of him. "Start with this. I'll have the main course done soon."

"Yes!" Luffy started shoving the food in.

"How can you be so hungry when you stole so much food while you were working?" Usopp said as he and the others entered the room.

"Luffy's always hungry." Cade placed a pan on the stove.

"How are we ever going to keep food around?" Usopp asked.

"Cade fishes for us when we really need food," Zoro said.

"Oh?" Usopp looked at the swordsman.

"She did it for us before you and Nami joined. She has a higher chance of getting something when fish aren't biting," Zoro said.

"That make sense when she can breath underwater and has such strength." Usopp looked back at Cade. "By the way, how strong are you?"  
"Well, by human measures I'm stronger than you'll ever be." Cade paused then added, "By fishmen measures I'm probably somewhere in the middle. I know there are some weaker and stronger than I am. Though I don't know by how much since I haven't seen any fishmen since I was kid."

"Do you think we'll meet any fishmen?" Usopp asked.

"Not likely here in the East Blue. But we will eventually run into some when we sail the Grand Line. That's were fishmen are from. They live on an island called Fishman Island. It's actually under the sea." Cade faced them. "My mother told me that relationships between fishmen and humans have been a stormy one. So if we do meet fishmen they most likely won't like you all and will probably try and kill you."

"K-kill us?!" Usopp shrieked. "And we're going to the place where they live?!"

"It's going to be so much fun!" Luffy grinned.

"How can you be so happy about that?! They're monsters!" Usopp gasped, his skin turning blue. "S-sorry, Cade. I didn't mean..."

Cade waved her hand and stepped over to the fridge. "Don't worry about it this time. There are some fishmen who are monsters. They'll kill humans for no reason at all." Pulling items from the fridge she grabbed some noodles from the cabinet and started working.

"You've been quiet, Nami. What's up?" Usopp asked.

"Nothing. Just thinking. How much longer are we going to stay here?" she asked.

"Can't leave until Luffy says so." Zoro put his hands behind his head.

"There's the whole working for the cook thing too. I guess we could just run away," Usopp said.

"I doubt that guy will let us." Nami sighed.

"It'll be fine." Luffy's grin brightened. "Cade, you should come inside the restaurant and meet him. Sanji's great!"

"I'll meet him when he comes on the ship."

...

The next day was the same as the past three. Luffy spent his time in the restaurant working as a chore boy while the rest of the crew bounced between there and the ship.

Cade sighed as she heard another crash from the restaurant.

"There goes another dozen plates or something," Usopp mumbled from his tinkering.

Cade glanced at the sniper, wondering what he was making, before looking around the ship. Johnny and Yosaku were near a sleeping Zoro playing with cards. Nami was no where to be seen.

"Might as well get some swimming in since there's nothing else to do." Cade stepped up on the railing and dove into the cool liquid.

Cade stroked through the water, watching fish and other sea life as it swam by her.

Getting lost in the underwater world she had no idea how much time passed.

She rolled onto her back and started to head back to the surface to check on things. But the ship sailing away from the restaurant.

She knitted her brow.

Something wasn't right. Luffy had too much time to serve at this restaurant for them to leave yet. And he never would have taken off without her. She headed up to see what was going on. Shooting out of the water she scanned the empty deck, spotting only Nami near the bow. _What is she doing? Why is she the only one on the ship?_

Cade dove back into the water, unnoticed by Nami, and followed the ship.


End file.
